An Iranian news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards lashed out at a meeting held between a senior Foreign Ministry official and the Russian envoy to nuclear talks in Vienna Tuesday.
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Following Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General for Strategic Affairs Joshua Zarka's meeting with Mikhail Ulyanov and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi, Nour News tweeted that the "Unexpected presence of Zionists in Vienna is undoubtedly a deterrent to progress of #ViennaTalksalks in current situation. Dialogue between representatives of #Israel with @rafaelmgrossi & @Amb_Ulyanov, with any purpose, is a step toward playing destructive role of this regime."
Talks over Iran's nuclear activities resumed last week after halting at the end of last month, following what negotiators cited as progress in seeking to revive the 2015 accord. Parties to the deal have been negotiating in the Austrian capital since last year, without Israeli involvement and with indirect US participation.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the end of last year that Israel would not oppose a nuclear deal with Iran but noted that world powers must take a firmer position. In an interview with Army Radio, he said he preferred a "practical approach."
"Unlike others, we're not looking to fight for the sake of fighting. Rather, we're trying to bring a result," Bennett said at the time.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told The New York Times around the same time that Jerusalem would rather Washington and other powers walk away from the nuclear talks than reach a "bad deal." He said that the best-case outcome of the Vienna talks was what he referred to as a "good deal" with Iran.
Shortly after talks resumed, Iran unveiled a new missile with a range of 900 miles – capable of hitting US bases throughout the Middle East or locations in Israel, Tasnim News Agency reported.
On Tuesday, Iran's top security official said a "guarantee" and "verification" would be needed for Vienna talks to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal, in an apparent reference to any US commitments.
The latest round of talks, the eighth, opened 10 days after negotiations were adjourned for the Iranian negotiator to return home for consultations. The previous round, the first after a more than five-month gap caused by the arrival of a new hardline government in Iran, was marked by tensions over new Iranian demands.
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