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New US Admin Urged to Rejoin JCPOA Without Preconditions

The reinstatement of US participation in JCPOA should not be coupled with any preconditions under the Biden administration
New US Admin Urged to Rejoin JCPOA Without Preconditions
New US Admin Urged to Rejoin JCPOA Without Preconditions

China and Russia have urged the newly-inaugurated administration of United States President Joe Biden to rejoin them in the 2015 nuclear deal with no preconditions. 
Speaking at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the Iranian nuclear issue is at a crucial juncture, stressing the urgent need to restore the agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive plan of Action. 
“The US side should rejoin the JCPOA with no preconditions as early as possible and lift all relevant sanctions,” she said a few hours before Biden’s inauguration, the ministry’s website reported.  
The US has been out of JCPOA since 2018 by order of ex-president, Donald Trump, who subsequently reinstated tough sanctions on Tehran. Upon the European parties’ failure to meet their obligations under the deal, Iran also suspended some of its commitments in reversible moves until it can enjoy JCPOA’s full benefits once again. Recent months have seen the acceleration of Iran’s steps beyond JCPOA limits, following the ratification of the new parliamentary legislation.   
Biden, who was sworn in as the 46th US president on Wednesday, has vowed to return to the deal on condition that Iran resumes strict compliance. Iran, however, has demanded that the US lift all its sanctions first. 
The Chinese diplomat also called on Iran to return to full compliance, saying “no preconditions for this should be set by any party”.  
“China hopes that all parties concerned will play a constructive role in bringing the JCPOA back on track and promoting the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue,” she said. 

 

 

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Russia’s permanent envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, also noted that the reinstatement of the US participation in JCPOA should not be coupled with any preconditions under the Biden administration.
"[Antony] Blinken [Biden’s pick for secretary of state] himself told the Senate hearings that Iran will first rejoin and then the US will start the procedure of returning. This is not an option,” he said, according to TASS news agency. 
It is neither an option for any side to put forward preconditions. Let’s hope it will somehow work out, he added. 
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov also said "the window of opportunity is very narrow” for the restoration of the deal’s original shape. 
“We all urgently need that the first signs of normalization will appear in February,” he said. 
Ulyanov highlighted the Feb. 21 deadline set by the parliamentary law, after which the administration is required to terminate the appliance of the Additional Protocol to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement it signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency, unless progress is made in terms of its JCPOA economic interests.  
“That will dramatically reduce the chances of inspecting the state of affairs in Iran’s nuclear program," he added. 
The diplomat also recalled that Iran is holding a presidential election in June, which could bring a more hardline president to power, limiting the chances of diplomacy with Tehran. 
 

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