 A crucial few days lie ahead with respect to the Iran nuclear deal. Diplomats from Russia, China, UK, Germany and France have been going back and forth between Iran and the US, which is not a part of the formal talks in Vienna. Iran's foreign ministry said on Sunday that 97-98% of a draft agreement was ready, but three key issues remained that the West had not agreed with. Russian delegate Mikhail Ilyanov told reporters on Monday, �We are very close, but additional efforts need to be taken in the days to come.� Three key elements are still being discussed according to observers. Iran's demand for the lifting of sanctions remains a key point of the contention. After former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, it proceeded to impose over 1600 sweeping unilateral sanctions on Iran, targeting key sectors including banking and oil. These measures have triggered high levels of inflation, exacerbated poverty, and caused critical shortages of necessities, including medicines. Iran has demanded that the US revoke the 2019 foreign terrorist organization designation against the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard cops. IRGC has an extended reach in Iran's economy and armed forces, and intelligence services and its commanders hold high-ranking positions in President Raisi's government. Iran has also demanded that the US provide stronger guarantees that it will not exit the deal again. The Biden administration maintains that constitutionally it cannot provide such a guarantee on behalf of a future president, as the agreement in question is not a treaty to be ratified by the Senate. A third issue is Iran's insistence that the International Atomic Energy Agency close its case regarding Tehran's nuclear work. The agency had claimed last year that Iran had not fully explained traces of uranium at undeclared sites. According to reports, this demand has been opposed by the US and the E3, which is UK, Germany, and France. On the 1st of March, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported that the possibility of reaching a deal was equal to the possibility of a failure. However, it added, a potential deal, if reached, would be composed of three annexes. These would include 1. Annex on removal of sanctions 2. Annex on nuclear measures 3. Annex on re-implementation plans IRNA also said that the US will not be able to join the JCPOA before verification is done. The potential deal will also include an individual and collective commitment to prevent any abuse of the snapback mechanism. The provision automatically reimposes UN sanctions if Iran breaches the deal. All sides have reiterated that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. The crisis in Ukraine has also complicated matters further as diplomatic ties between Russia and the western countries have hit rock bottom. Russia, along with China, was a vital player in the talks helping bridge differences.