Iran nuclear talks make progress and will resume Friday, Russia says

IndirecttalksbetweenIranand the United States on bringing both sides fully back into compliance with the 2015nucleardeal are making steadyprogressand willresumeonFriday, the head ofRussia's delegation said on Saturday.

Thetalksbegan last month in Vienna with the remaining parties to the deal -Iran,Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - meeting in the basement of a luxury hotel, and the United States, based in another hotel across the street.Iranhas refused to hold direct meetings with USofficials.

Washington pulled out of the deal in 2018 under President Donald Trump and reimposed sanctions against Tehran.Iranresponded as of 2019 by breaching many of the deal's limits on itsnuclearactivities.

"We should not expect breakthroughs in the days to come,"Russia's ambassador to the UNnuclearwatchdog, Mikhail Ulyanov, told reporters after a meeting of the remaining parties that wrapped up the third round oftalks. He was the only official to address reporters.

"We need simply to continue diplomatic, day-to-day work, and we have all the reasons to expect that the outcome, (the) final outcome, will be successful and it will come quite soon, in a few weeks," he said, adding thattalkswill reconvene onFriday.

The break intalkswas widely expected as diplomats said officials from several countries are also involved in the Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in London that begins on Monday and ends on Wednesday.

Russiais generally one of the more optimistic voices at thetalks. USNational Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said onFridaythetalkswere in "an unclear place", meaning it was uncertain whether they would lead to an agreement.