Doha Talks Kept Doors Open for Continued Negotiations   

The path for continued negotiations on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal have remained open as a result of proximity talks in Doha, Qatar, to remove the final obstacles, a senior Iranian official said. 
“Contrary to American claims that Doha talks were fruitless … they were good negotiations,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said at a press briefing on Wednesday, ISNA reported. 
He said the European Union coordinator of the deal Josep Borrell is making preparations for the next round of talks and Iran is pursuing the matter with good will and seriousness. 
“Conditions are ready and there are no fundamental issues for an agreement except that the American side must make its political decision explicitly and seriously,” he said. 
Iran and the United States have been engaged in indirect talks in Vienna, Austria, for more than a year to work out how they can resume compliance with the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which lifted sanctions on Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear activity. 
The US abandoned the JCPOA four years ago and reimposed tough sanctions that prompted Tehran to exceed the deal’s nuclear limits. 
Vienna talks reached an impasse in March and were suspended for months before the EU eventually arranged talks in Doha so that the two can settle their bilateral differences. 
The EU said the process did not produce the outcome they had hoped for, but vowed to work with even greater urgency to bring the deal back on track.
Iranian officials assessed the talks as positive, expressing readiness to engage constructively in future stages.
American officials described the negotiations as unproductive, saying chances of restoring the JCPOA are even worse following the talks. 
Washington also accuses Iran of blocking the process by making maximalist demands. 
US State Department Spokesman Ned Price asserted in a recent briefing that “Iran is sending a signal to us and to the rest of the world that it has no interest in mutually returning to compliance with the JCPOA.”

Independent Decision  

Tehran demands a full and verifiable removal of sanctions, as well as guarantees that the US would not violate the deal in the future. 
“Iran requires a serious, clear and verifiable guarantee that would ensure its economic interests under the JCPOA,” Kanaani said. 
The US insists on keeping part of its bans in place and refuses to provide such assurances.
Kanaani said the US expresses willingness to rejoin the JCPOA, but is not ready to bear the costs of such return. 
“Washington seems unable to make an independent decision in this regard,” he said. 
The path is clear for an agreement in near future if the US government views this matter from the perspective of America’s national interests, instead of Israel’s, according to the spokesman. 
US President Joe Biden recently visited Israel in his first trip to the region where the two sides vowed to work together to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Iran says it will never pursue.
Israel was attempting to create a regional coalition against Iran during Biden’s visit, the Iranian diplomat said, but the Islamic Republic’s assessment is that the regime has failed to advance its plan and the US government has attained no success either. 
“Messages received directly and indirectly from Arab authorities of the region indicate that these countries are not willing to stand opposite Iran within the framework of the US regional policies.” 
Kanaani also stressed that Iran has great nuclear capabilities, but they are completely peaceful and under the constant monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency which has repeatedly verified their civilian nature. 
“In this regard, we have the religious decree of the Leader [of the Islamic Revolution] and there has been no change in Iran’s stance,” he said.