US Must Prove Goodwill in Practice: Iran’s FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called on the US to show its goodwill in an actual manner in the course of talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, noting that what remains on paper about the removal of the sanctions does not suffice at all.
In comments on Saturday, the Iranian foreign minister reacted to the US administration’s move to restore a sanctions waiver that allows cooperation with Tehran on civil nuclear projects.
Commenting on the latest developments in the Vienna talks on saving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and lifting the sanctions on Iran, Amirabdollahian said the Iranian delegation seeks to ensure guarantees at the political, legal and economic levels.
“Agreements have been achieved in some sectors (relating to the guarantees), but the Iranian negotiating delegation is still trying seriously to receive tangible assurances from the Western sides and (ensure guarantees of) their commitment to the undertakings under the Vienna deal,” the top Iranian diplomat added.
He said Iran has made it clear for the American negotiators, who have been sending messages in recent days through intermediaries, that the US must prove its goodwill in practice.
In Iran’s view, actual goodwill comes with something real happening on the ground, he added, noting that Americans can display their goodwill by lifting part of the sanctions in a practical and palpable manner.
“What happens on paper is good, but not enough,” Amirabdollahian stated.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday signed several sanctions waivers related to the JCPOA.
Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally left the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted. He also placed additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign.
A senior US State Department official said the technical discussions facilitated by the waiver are necessary in the final weeks of the Vienna talks, adding that it was not a signal that the US was about to reach an understanding to return to the 2015 deal, according to Reuters.
"Absent this sanctions waiver, detailed technical discussions with third parties regarding disposition of stockpiles and other activities of non-proliferation value cannot take place," the official said.
The Trump administration had ended the so-called “civ-nuke” waivers in May 2020 as part of its “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.
Iran has declined direct negotiations with the US over Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA, its illegal sanctions against the country, and its refusal to remove the sanctions despite expressing willingness to rejoin the deal under a new administration.