Iran, US Headed for Fifth Round in Vienna After IAEA Deal Struck

After Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reached an agreement on Monday extending the United Nations watchdog’s monitoring of Iranian nuclear facilities, the United States special envoy for Iran Robert Malley expressed hope Washington and Tehran could now “further advance” toward a renewed nuclear deal. “The latest round of talks [in Vienna] was constructive and saw meaningful progress, but much work still needs to be done,” Malley tweeted Monday, adding that his team would soon arrive in the Austrian capital for a fifth round of negotiations with the Islamic Republic. The two sides have been conducting indirect talks aimed at securing a mutual return to compliance with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which has since been exited by the US and violated by Iran. Earlier Monday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi insisted he had not accepted “any conditions” on the agency’s mandate and activities in return for Tehran’s agreement to allow further monitoring of its sites. The one-month extension pact stipulates IAEA cameras will continue to film Iran’s nuclear facilities, but that the recorded material will not be handed over before a deal is reached with the US.