1000 Iran Sanctions Lifted, 500 still left: Iranian Negotiator

After 5 rounds of negotiations between Iran and the Group 4+1 (China, Russia, Britain and France plus Germany) in Vienna, 1000 sanctions have been removed but 500 of the most punishing ones still remain, Iran's top negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi has said.

The US is still adamant to remove 500 sanctions after 5 rounds of talks between Tehran and the Group 4+1. The US walked  out of the Iran nuclear deal during Trump administration but the Biden team is willing to let the remaining of the western powers plus China and Russia to go ahead with the negotiations and find a way out of the largely Iran-US dispute over the former's nuclear program.

Araqchi attended a meeting of the Iranian parliament's Foreign Policy Committee to brief the lawmakers on the results of the last 5th round of the talks, FARS news reported today.

Ebrahim Azizi, a member of the Iranian parliament Foreign Policy Committee said quoting the top Iranian negotiator, "The sixth round of talks between Iran and the G4 + 1 is scheduled to begin this Saturday."

"At the end of the fifth round of talks, the deputy foreign minister announced that out of 1,500 nuclear sanctions against Iranian bodies and individuals, 1,000 sanctions had been lifted and 500 sanctions are remaining. In addition, primary and secondary sanctions still remain in place," Azizi said.

“All in all, we made good progress, but there are issues left [unresolved], without which an agreement couldn’t be reached, and which have yet to be decided,” Seyed Abbas Araqchi told reporters at the end of the fifth round of talks between Iran and G4+1 group of countries on revitalizing the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Following 10 days of intensive talks, the negotiating delegations concluded that they needed to return to their capitals once again for almost week-long consultations, the Iranian diplomat said, adding that this round of negotiations was not halted but was just adjourned in order to reach better conclusions about the remaining unsolved issues.

Iran Ship carrying military cargo en-route to Venezuela

Last month, Tehran sent a supply ship, IRINS Makran, accompanied by a warship to Venezeula. The ship is believed to be  carrying a cargo of Iranian fast attack boats capable of carrying missiles. Iranian officials have affairmed that the ship  contains an export cargo stating that they have a right to export arms now that they are under no UN embargo.

The US has asked Venezuela and other countries in South America not  to  allow the ship to  dock but without giving any reasons. Tehran in turn has said that  the ship  is capable of completing the journey wthout a refueling stop.