Iran will hold a presidential election on June 18, seen as a referendum on the Islamic Republic's handling of an array of political and economic crises.
Iranian officials started to leak that they would like a deal by August, around when the country’s new president, who will be elected on June 18, actually takes office.
The combination of modern totalitarianism and Iran’s Islamic theocracy, with a supreme leader, cannot allow for more than a voting spectacle.
"Today we will start the negotiations again and we hope that during the few days of talks, God willing, we will be able to reach the final solutions."
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stressed that some key issues still have not been resolved.
“If Americans act within the framework of honesty, we will achieve results in a short time.”
The timing question is whether the US wants to try to strike a deal with current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani before the June elections.
Europe is pushing for an IAEA resolution on Iran, despite Russia and Iranian warnings. Iran won’t meet with the US or Europeans unless sanctions are lifted by Washington.
"If Washington returns to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, we will also fully respect our commitments under the pact," Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen since 2018, when President Donald Trump abandoned the nuclear deal, and restored harsh economic sanctions to pressure Tehran.
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