Iran says deal possible if US lifts all sanctions against Tehran

Iran says a deal on the revival of the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement is possible if the US accepts that it should lift all sanctions imposed on Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday blamed the United States for the delay in reaching an agreement on the revival of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, slamming Washington’s double standards.

His remarks come as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s Board of Governors has recently passed a resolution, proposed by the US and the three European parties to the JCPOA – Britain, France, and Germany, which accuses Tehran of failing to fully cooperate with the UN nuclear agency.

Referring to Iran’s efforts to achieve progress in the revival talks, Khatibzadeh noted that Iran has submitted its initiatives to Washington via European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“Ahead of the meeting of the Board of Governors, Iran’s initiative was conveyed to the other side via Borrell, and for the first time, through two foreign ministers, Iran’s initiative and proposal was conveyed and a roadmap was submitted, but the US once again decided to delay this agreement,” he said at a weekly press conference.

“If the US fulfills its commitments under the JCPOA and lifts sanctions imposed on the Iranian nation, We can finalize an agreement based on Iran’s initiative.”

Khatibzadeh stressed Tehran’s adherence to diplomacy.

“The American side must return to the path of signing an agreement as soon as possible,” he said, expressing Tehran’s readiness for “a good, sustainable, effective agreement”.

Negotiations have been held in the Austrian capital of Vienna since April last year to restore the JCPOA, which was ditched by former US President Donald Trump in May 2018.

In quitting the agreement, Trump introduced what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign to bring Iran to its knees. Tehran maintains that the policy has failed dismally. The administration of Joe Biden agrees, yet it has not taken any tangible steps to deliver on its promise of repealing the policy.

In recent months, Iran has cited Washington’s indecisiveness as the reason behind the protraction of the talks, as a number of key issues remain unresolved, ranging from the removal of all post-JCPOA sanctions to the provision of guarantees by the American side that it will not leave the deal again.

002