Envoy Blames Delay in JCPOA Talks on West’s Excessive Demands

In an interview with Russia’s Izvestia newspaper, Kazem Jalali reaffirmed Tehran’s determination to continue the Vienna negotiations on the nuclear deal, but noted that the delay in the process is caused by "excessive demands of the Western participants."

He stressed that the priority for Tehran remains the lifting of all US sanctions, and not "negotiations for the sake of negotiations."

Iran, "realizing the importance of time, is conducting the necessary assessment and study of how to continue the dialogue," Jalali said.

The delay in the Vienna talks was due to the excessive demands of the Western participants, otherwise the agreement could have been reached earlier, the Iranian envoy stated.

Naturally, with the change of government, the Islamic Republic needs time to conduct the necessary research and make decisions in the new government, he added.

He also stressed that the other parties to the negotiations are expected to realize the complexity of the issue and the need for consideration and decision by the new Iranian government, since the US government announced its readiness to begin negotiations two months after taking office.

Jalali said that lifting the "illegal and repressive sanctions has always been a priority for Iran," pointing to the remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei that if the cruel sanctions can be lifted even an hour earlier, they must be terminated.

It should be borne in mind that holding the negotiations are not and were not an end in itself for the Islamic Republic, but dialogue is a means of achieving the interests of the country, and unreasonable dragging out of the negotiation process by either side is unacceptable, he stated.

The Iranian ambassador said Tehran expects that the negotiations should be result-oriented, and the result of the lifting of sanctions should be tangible and objective.

Iran should benefit from the lifting of sanctions, Jalali noted, saying once the US takes "meaningful steps" to "effectively" lift all restrictions imposed in violation of the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, Iran will suspend its remedial measures in accordance with Articles 26 and 36 of the agreement.

The latest round of talks to revive the JCPOA began in Vienna in April between Iran and the remaining members of the nuclear deal, namely the UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany.

The US left the JCPOA in 2018 and restored the economic sanctions that the accord had lifted. Tehran retaliated with remedial nuclear measures that it is entitled to take under the JCPOA’s Paragraph 36.

The negotiations examine the potential of revitalization of the nuclear deal and the US’ likely return to it.