Iran demanded a fresh meeting “as soon as possible” in the Vienna talks aimed at reviving its shattered 2015 nuclear accord with major nations on Monday.
Iran has been in direct and indirect talks with the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, and Russia to resurrect the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“It is appropriate that a face-to-face meeting is held as soon as possible,”
foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told his weekly press conference.
“It is not yet decided where and when to have this meeting and at what level it should be held, but it is on the agenda.”
Iran was granted sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program, ensuring that Tehran would not be able to produce nuclear weapons, something it has long denied wishing to do.
Under then-President Donald Trump, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed harsh economic penalties, causing Iran to begin reversing its own obligations.
Iran and the United States, long rivals, have been exchanging ideas through Enrique Mora, the European coordinator of the Vienna negotiations.
Iran and the European Union agreed, according to Khatibzadeh, that “prolonging the hiatus in the negotiations is not in anyone’s interest.”
He went on to say that the talks “have not halted and are continuing through the Vienna negotiations coordinator.”
US AND IRAN BATTLES INSIDE VIENNA TALKS
The Vienna negotiations have been on hold since March 11 after Russia wanted assurances that sanctions imposed by the West in response to its February 24 invasion of Ukraine would not harm its commerce with Iran.
Moscow announced a few days later that it had acquired the requisite assurances.
The Vienna discussions, which began a year ago, are aimed at bringing the US back into the nuclear deal, including through the lifting of sanctions against Iran, as well as ensuring Tehran’s complete compliance with its obligations.
Iran’s demand that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be removed from a US terror list is one of the major sticking issues.
“It is clear that if the US had given the right answers to the remaining issues … everyone would have been in Vienna by now,”
said Khatibzadeh.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week that “if Iran wants sanctions-lifting that goes beyond the JCPOA, they’ll need to address concerns of ours that go beyond the JCPOA”.
Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn