Iran Blames Pause in Vienna Talks on US’ Indecision
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Vienna talks on the revival of the JCPOA have ground to a halt because the US has failed to respond to the initiatives put forward by Iran and Europe, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Vienna negotiations for saving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and lifting the sanctions on Iran have been halted because the initiatives proposed by Iran and Europe have remained unanswered by the US.
Asked about the recent remarks from US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley who has warned that the prospects of reviving the JCPOA were “tenuous at best”, Khatibzadeh said comments that the American officials may make in response to their own country’s internal dynamism are by no means a criterion for showing a reaction.
“Basically, our action in the domain of the Vienna talks is absolutely clear. We’d show no reaction to the comments (from US officials) that are made for domestic consumption,” the Iranian spokesman added.
What matters to Tehran are the messages being exchanged between Iran and the US through the customary channels, he stated, adding that Iran has already offered its initiatives in that regard.
“Unfortunately, the United States has not still given the expected responses. If the US abandons hesitation in behavior and makes and announces the political decision, there will definitely be no deadlock and the remaining percentage of the agreement could be finalized,” Khatibzadeh noted.
The US administration, under former president Donald Trump, unilaterally left the JCPOA in May 2018 and launched a maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic, despite the latter’s full adherence to its commitments under the deal.
Since April 2021, several rounds of talks between Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- have been held in the Austrian capital to bring the US back into the Iran deal. The Vienna talks, however, exclude American diplomats due to their country’s withdrawal from the deal.