The story: As talks on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) resume in Vienna, there is ambiguity in the air. With a new and conservative nuclear negotiating team in place, the Iranian discourse has shifted, adopting a tougher tone. But as sources in Tehran tell Amwaj.media, many things remain the same—including the stumbling blocks which prevented the revival of the nuclear deal under moderate former president Hassan Rouhani (2013-21).

The state of play: The last time Iran and the US held indirect talks in Vienna on reviving the JCPOA was on June 20, two days after the election of conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s president. Tehran has dragged its feet on returning to the negotiating table ever since, pointing to the domestic transition as hardliners have seized all branches of power in Iran.

• Asked about the new Iranian negotiating team’s intentions, a high-ranking source in the Iranian capital told Amwaj.media...