JCPOA Train Not Derailed: Iranian Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal are still on track despite Washington’s lack of commitment, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, reiterating Tehran’s readiness for reaching a good and sustainable agreement.
Asked about the latest developments in the Vienna talks for saving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and lifting the sanctions on Iran, Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Monday that Tehran has kept to the path to diplomacy.
“In spite of all American violations and the continuation of (former US president Donald) Trump’s approach, this train (JCPOA talks) has not still derailed,” he added.
The Iranian spokesman said the current situation has occurred because the US withdrew from the JCPOA unilaterally and illegally in 2018 and adopted the policy of maximum pressure on Iran, which, according to the Americans themselves, has ended in a dismal failure.
“We are ready for a good, lasting and effectual agreement and consider that all grounds are prepared to achieve it,” Khatibzadeh stated.
“If the US agrees to lift all of the sanctions and return to the course of negotiations, we will move towards that direction as well,” he noted, calling on the US, as the party that is accountable for the status quo with its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA, to make up for its mistakes and return to the negotiations.
He also warned that more sanctions against Iran will only make the situation more difficult for the US itself.
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.