Back to negotiations
Representatives from Iran and the other signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement have held closed-door negotiations in the Austrian capital. Two draft proposals presented by Iran on its nuclear commitments and the removal of sanctions were at the heart of the discussions. Iran’s deputy foreign minister and top negotiator in the talks says Tehran underlined during the session that it continues the talks based on its previous stance. Ali Bagheri Kani says Iran is serious about reaching an agreement if the way is paved for a deal. He said the willingness of the parties to continue the negotiations shows their determination to narrow the gaps. Meanwhile, the European Union says the delegates have shown a renewed sense of purpose to reach an agreement.
Iran-P4+1 talks
Enrique Mora, who is also the coordinator of the Vienna talks, warned that time is passing and the sense of urgency is even greater. This is the seventh of round of talks being held in the Austrian capital. Tehran has already expressed determination to reach a good deal that will secure the rights and interests of the Iranian nation. It says the termination of US sanctions is the main result it is seeking from these negotiations and only then will Iran resume its nuclear commitments.
Hoarding Covid-19 vaccines
The World Health Organization says wealthy countries may start to hoard Covid-19 vaccines again as they seek to shore up stocks to fight the new Omicron variant. The WHO vaccine director has warned that the global supply will again revert to high-income countries hoarding vaccines. Kate O'Brien says wastage rates of vaccines are also high in some wealthy countries. Earlier this month, the International Federation of Red Cross said the emergence of the Omicron variant is the ultimate evidence of vaccine inequality in the world. So far, some 65% of the population in richer nations has received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccines. The figure is just over 7% for low-income nations.