by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng

TEHRAN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A fresh round of talks to rescue the Iran nuclear deal was held in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Thursday amid rising geopolitical tensions following the attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.

After a blackout struck the Natanz enrichment facility in central Iran on Sunday morning, Iran accused Israel of the sabotage against its nuclear site and announced a plan to begin enriching uranium at a 60-percent purity, which has drawn concerns from European powers and the United States.

Though recent developments injected new uncertainty into the prospect of Vienna talks, diplomatic efforts continued to restore the 2015 nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with lifting sanctions and nuclear issues topping the agenda.

RISING TENSIONS

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that the launch of more IR-6 centrifuges and 60-percent uranium enrichment was "a response to the evils" committed by other countries.

"You want to empty our hands in the negotiations, but we will enter the negotiations with a fuller hand," said Rouhani, addressing Iran's adversaries.

Tehran's move could create more uncertainty, possibly prompting a reassessment of other parties' positions on the Iranian nuclear issue and escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, said Wang Jin, an associate professor at Northwest University of China.

On Wednesday, France, Germany and Britain released a joint statement, voicing "grave concern" over Iran's uranium enrichment plan. "In light of recent developments, we reject all escalatory measures by any actor," said the statement.

Also, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday that Washington and its NATO partners "take very seriously" Iran's decision to boost enrichment.

Rouhani on Thursday dismissed concerns about Iran's plan, saying, "We are not looking for a nuclear bomb."

"It is wrong to think that we are paving the way for the production of the atomic bomb," Rouhani was quoted by official IRNA news agency as saying.

IRAN'S LOGIC

This week, voices were clearly heard in Iran asking the government to halt the Vienna talks after the Natanz attack. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on the Iranian people not to "fall in the trap" set up by Israel.

Despite the Natanz sabotage, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a public event on Wednesday that he has directed Iranian diplomats to proceed with the negotiations, but cautioned them the talks should not "become talks of attrition."

Similarly, Iran has no problem negotiating the return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, but will do so "according to its own logic," Rouhani told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Last week, Zarif has elaborated on his country's logic for returning to the nuclear agreement. "Iran proposes logical path to full JCPOA compliance: the United States, which caused this crisis, should return to full compliance first," he tweeted.

Tehran has repeatedly reiterated its position that the United States should return to the deal first and remove its sanctions against Iran before Iran re-embraces deal-related commitments.

In response to Blinken's question on Wednesday about "Iran's seriousness with regard to the nuclear talks," Zarif tweeted on Thursday that "Iran's 'seriousness of purpose' in pursuing diplomacy was tested in the three years since (Donald) Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord. Iran -- by remaining in the deal -- passed with flying colors."

The Joe Biden administration, however, "has only shown a commitment to Trump's maximum pressure," he added.

CRITICAL JUNCTURE

After talks with the other signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany, on Thursday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told news network Press TV in Vienna that "although we still have differences, we share this common interest that we have to move forward, and we have to expedite this process in order to come to a conclusion as soon as possible."

The U.S. side has to "lift all sanctions, and we need the list of sanctions and this should be our job in this round of discussion," he was quoted as saying, adding that without a list, "I don't think we can make any progress."

"Good to see everybody back in Vienna ready to advance our talks, despite very challenging events and announcements over the past days," said Enrique Mora, the deputy secretary general and political director of the European External Action Service, who chaired Thursday's meeting.

"Working towards the same objectives: US rejoining the #JCPOA and its full implementation," he tweeted.

Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, on Thursday called on the United States to immediately and unconditionally return to the nuclear deal.

He said Washington should lift all sanctions related to the Iran nuclear issue -- be it sanctions on Iran or long-arm jurisdiction measures on third-party entities and individuals.

Recent developments have made China even more convinced that at the key juncture of the current Iranian nuclear situation, all parties concerned should strive to maintain the good momentum of the negotiations, Wang added.