An EU official confirmed that Iran had responded to an EU-tabled draft that served as the basis for multilateral early August discussions in Vienna. Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian maintained that “there are three issues that if resolved, we can reach an agreement in the coming days”. A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson on 16 August noted that “we’re in the process of studying [Iran’s comments]. We are at the same time engaged in consultations with the EU and our European allies on the way ahead”. An unnamed Israeli official subsequently opined that “despite the differences and gaps, there is a momentum and a more positive dialogue toward reaching an agreement… Israel sees the current agreement as a bad agreement and emphasises to its partners the danger of signing such an agreement. The Iranians operate in a well-known tactic of shuffling and stalling for more concessions”.