Politico:  “Iran is ready to return to nuclear talks in Vienna before the end of November, Ali Bagheri Kani, the country’s deputy foreign minister, said on Wednesday after meeting with EU officials in Brussels.  ‘Had a very serious & constructive dialogue with @enriquemora_ on the essential elements for successful negotiations,’ he wrote on Twitter, referring to Enrique Mora, the chief EU coordinator for the talks. ‘We agree to start negotiations before the end of November. Exact date would be announced in the course of the next week,’ he added.

“Mora did not immediately confirm the statement but two Western diplomatic officials said Bagheri Kani’s announcement was correct.  The development paves the way for a resumption of talks between Iran and six world powers aimed at reviving the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the Iran nuclear deal is officially called. Negotiations have been stalled since June, when Iran elected hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi to the presidency.

“Iran had repeatedly stressed that it was ready to resume talks ‘soon’ but refused to provide a clear date, leaving U.S. and European officials increasingly impatient and irritated.  ‘We could understand some hiatus to their transition … but at this point, it’s hard to find an explanation, an innocent explanation, for why they are taking so long,’ U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley told reporters in a press call earlier this week. He added that efforts to revive the accord were in a ‘critical phase.'”