The story: There are hints of progress in the diplomatic talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Indirect negotiations between Iran and the US resumed on Dec. 9, with advances seemingly made from the tense talks last week.

• Iran’s lead negotiator Ali Baqeri-Kani has stated that the Dec. 9 meeting of the Joint Commission, which gathers signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was “different” from its previous Nov. 29 session. Baqeri-Kani added that Iran’s counterparts have the will to enter a “fruitful” dialogue to revive the JCPOA, as the nuclear deal is formally known.

• Moscow’s Ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, on Dec. 9 asserted that the talks “will proceed from drafts elaborated by June 20,” referring to the previous sixth round of negotiations held this year. Yet, he added that the “new Iranian ideas” put forward by the new negotiating team sent by Tehran “must be properly discussed and thoroughly considered.”

The apparent progress in Vienna comes as Iran’s deputy foreign minister for economic affairs has claimed that some Iranian assets currently frozen in foreign banks due to US sanctions will soon be released.

The coverage: Iranian figures have spoken positively about the current round of diplomatic engagement in the Austrian capital...