Iran FM hails ‘progressive’ talks in New York, Vienna to revive JCPOA
Iran’s foreign minister has hailed recent talks in New York and Vienna aimed at removal of sanctions and revival of the nuclear deal as well as resolving disagreements with the UN nuclear agency as “progressive”.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Wednesday in a phone conversation with the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.
The top Iranian diplomat, referring to recent talks between head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad Eslami and chief of the International Atomic Energy agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi in Vienna, said “good” agreements were reached between the two sides.
He also pointed to indirect talks between Tehran and Washington on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York last month.
“In New York, indirect messages were being actively exchanged between Iran and the US and overall, we have had developing talks in New York and Vienna,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
For his part, Borrell expressed satisfaction with the progress in talks, stressing the need to continue efforts towards reaching a final agreement.
The European Union, he stressed, is ready for any sort of cooperation aimed at reaching a deal.
Describing recent talks between Iran and the IAEA as “promising,” the top EU diplomat termed it an important step on the path to reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The marathon talks aimed at salvaging the nuclear deal and removing draconian sanctions have been underway since April last year, but Washington's procrastination and foot-dragging has prevented any breakthrough.
Earlier on Monday, Amir-Abdollahian said that an agreement will be within reach if the US acts realistically and proceeds with the path agreed upon in recent exchange of messages.
The United States, under the hawkish former president Donald Trump, unilaterally walked out of the deal in May 2018 and reinstated crippling sanctions under the so-called “maximum pressure” campaign.
A year after exercising strategic patience, Iran in 2019 started the process of scaling back its commitments under the deal, but maintained that the measures are reversible provided the other party returns to the deal and shows full compliance.
The Joe Biden administration verbally criticized the “failed maximum pressure” campaign of the previous administration and vowed to re-join the deal, however, it has failed to walk the talk, slapping new sanctions and upping the ante.
Iranian officials have on numerous occasions made it clear the US should provide strong guarantees that the future US administration will not withdraw from the deal again.
Tehran also says the IAEA should stop politicizing the Iranian nuclear program and avoid coming under the influence of the Israeli regime. Removal of all sanctions imposed on Iran following the US pullout from the deal is among other demands of Iranian negotiators.
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