Iran to Resume Talks on JCPOA Revival With New Agenda

Iran’s most possible course of action in pursuing its nuclear case following the settlement of the new administration is to resume the negotiations with a new agenda. 
Continuing the talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal based on the previous model will not be an option for the Islamic Republic, according to an article published by Nour News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Negotiations have been going on in Vienna, Austria, since April between Iran and the world powers to find ways to revive the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that has been unraveling since the United States withdrew in 2018 and Iran suspended its commitments in response to the American reimposed sanctions. 
Despite significant progress over six rounds, the process reached a deadlock as participants could not agree on key remaining issues.
The article argued that if the previous course of action and its achievements had been assessed by Iran as favorable, the negotiations would have resulted in a way out of the impasse.
Failure to reach an agreement after six rounds is a clear indication of Iran’s dissatisfaction with the process and the need for a general revision to set a new agenda for the resumption of talks.
The main criterion for establishing a new agenda for the talks will be fulfillment of the objectives declared in the parliamentary law, dubbed as “strategic action plan to remove sanctions and protect interests of the Iranian nation”, which was passed last December, according to the news agency. 
The halt in the talks also coincided with a shift of power in Iran following the June 18 presidential elections which brought conservative Ebrahim Raeisi to power.
The article also stressed that the change of government has limited impact on the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy, as key strategies in this area are determined by the Supreme National Security Council, which is a top-level branch of governance.
Therefore, the country’s new strategies for the Vienna talks will be determined under the supervision of this body and within the framework of the Islamic Republic’s definite policies.
 

Main Culprit 

While western media have been picturing Iran as the main cause of the stalemate, the main culprits were the US and the three European powers who refused to implement their original JCPOA commitments, according to the news agency.  
Nour News cited Kazem Gharibabadi, member of Iran’s negotiating team, who pointed out several US policies that prevented the conclusion of talks. 
Washington, according to him, demanded an additional article about future talks with Iran on regional policies which is completely irrelevant to the nuclear issue. 
They made the lifting of certain sanctions and removing Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps from the list of terrorist groups conditional on the acceptance of this article.   
Moreover, the US did not agree to revoke Iran’s conventional arms executive order which goes against United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 endorsing the JCPOA. 
Former US president Donald Trump, who pulled the US out of the nuclear deal, issued the executive order in September 2020, following his administration’s failed effort to reinstate sanctions and a conventional arms embargo by the UNSC which was to expire in October 2020 as per the JCPOA. 
The US did not agree to lift sanctions on over 500 persons and institutions that became subject to the restrictions under non-nuclear pretexts. 
Washington also refused to give enough assurance not to repeat the policies of its previous administrations. Nor did they agree to discuss the damages Iran suffered as a result of its unilateral and illegal exit from JCPOA. 
Both the US and its European allies also made demands about Iran’s nuclear activities that went beyond the previously agreed terms in the nuclear deal. 
On the other hand, they did not agree to Iran’s legitimate demand for verification of sanctions lifting over an appropriate time before returning to its JCPOA commitments.