The latest round of talks to salvage the Iran nuclear deal in Vienna have been put on pause, the European Union coordinator Enrique Mora said Friday, calling for "political decisions" to break the deadlock.

"Participants will go back to capital(s) for consultations and instructions to come back next week. Political decisions are needed now," Mora tweeted.

The deal -- sealed in 2015 by Iran, the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- gave Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

However after the US pulled out of the accord and reimposed sanctions in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump, Iran began dramatically stepping up its nuclear activities.

Talks aiming to rescue the faltering accord began in the Austrian capital in April and -- after a five-month suspension -- resumed in November.

The EU has played the role of mediator, while Washington has been taking part only indirectly in the negotiations.

But on Monday Iran for the first time said it was open to direct negotiations with the US, which quickly declared itself ready to hold talks "urgently".

The potential turning point came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in mid-January that it was a "decisive moment" in the negotiations, warning there were only "a few weeks left" to save a deal.

France says signs Iran nuclear talks 'could succeed'
Paris (AFP) Jan 28, 2022 - Negotiations in Vienna on reviving a 2015 deal on the Iranian nuclear programme are difficult but there are some signs that the talks could succeed, a French presidential official said on Friday.

World powers are holding the talks in a bid to bring the United States back into the deal which then-president Donald Trump walked out of in 2018.

The US reimposed sanctions against Iran, which ramped up its nuclear activities that Western powers have long feared are aimed at making a bomb. Tehran insists the nuclear drive is entirely peaceful.

"The negotiations remain difficult as we need to clarify the question of guarantees (on lifting sanctions) and the framework of control over the Iranian nuclear programme," said the French presidential official who asked not to be named.

"Nevertheless there are some indications that the negotiations could succeed," added the official, saying President Emmanuel Macron could hold telephone talks with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi in the next days.

The comments marked a more positive tone from Paris after Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said last week that "the negotiations cannot go on so slowly".

The European Union coordinator Enrique Mora said Friday said the talks had been put on pause until the following week, calling for "political decisions" to break the deadlock.

US congratulates Iran on World Cup, hopes for faceoff
Washington (AFP) Jan 28, 2022 - The US negotiator locked in months of tense nuclear talks on Friday had a different message to Iran -- congratulations on qualifying for the World Cup, and hope to see you on the pitch.

As talks in Vienna took a new break, the first public message Monday by Rob Malley, who is seeking to revive a nuclear accord, was on Iran becoming the first Asian team to secure a spot in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"Congrats to #teammelli on qualifying for the #WorldCup2022. It's good to see women were allowed to attend the match," Malley wrote on Twitter, using the Iranian team's nickname.

"Hope #USMNT sees you in Doha," he wrote, referring to the US team.

Iranian women were allowed into the stadium for the first time in almost three years for the victory Thursday over Iraq.

Iran's clerical rulers have generally tried to bar women from stadiums, but world football's governing body FIFA ordered Iran in September 2019 to allow access to female fans.

The US team, which beat El Salvador on Thursday, is on track to qualify for the World Cup after a stunning failure to reach the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Iran played against the United States in the 1998 World Cup in France in what has been described as one of the most political matches in the tournament's history.

The Iranian players, who won 2-1, entered by offering white roses to the American players in a symbol of peace.

Iran has not had diplomatic relations with Washington since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution, which toppled the Western-oriented shah.

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