FM Reiterates Readiness for ‘Good Agreement’ on JCPOA Revival

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Iran has shared its views about the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal with the negotiating parties and is prepared for a “good agreement”. 
“This requires the complete return of the negotiating sides to their commitments,” he said in a phone conversation with his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio, on Monday, ISNA reported. 
Negotiations between Iran and the five world powers on the revival of the nuclear deal, which started in April in Vienna, Austria, are set to restart in late November after a pause due to a change of government in Iran. 
Amir-Abdollahian said the new Iranian administration is a pragmatic one that sets its sights on achieving a result.
The talks aim to work out how the United States and Iran can resume full compliance with the landmark agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 
Washington exited the JCPOA in 2018 and reimposed sweeping sanctions which prompted Tehran to reciprocate by rowing back on its commitments. 
“All sides have come to the common understanding that the US is the main culprit and responsible party for the current situation,” the foreign minister said, regretting irresponsible behavior by certain countries who chose silence against US extreme demands and contributed to today’s unacceptable situation.

Combatting Unilateralism 

Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri who is set to lead Iran’s delegation in Vienna talks also held discussions via video conference with his Russian and Chinese counterparts about the upcoming talks on Tuesday. 
He underlined the closeness of the three countries’ stances on various international issues, including their principled policy of promoting multilateralism and standing against unilateralism.
“The US cruel sanctions against Iran are the costs of opposing unilateralism,” he said.  
The necessary condition for the success of future negotiations, according to Baqeri, is the removal of all sanctions imposed on Tehran against the terms of the JCPOA and all measures in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the deal, in a verifiable manner and in a way that Iran can benefit economically from the normalization of its trade ties.
“Effective lifting of illegal American sanctions is a necessity and a main priority in the forthcoming talks,” he said. 
Baqeri described his virtual meeting as “fruitful” on Twitter, adding that the three countries’ alignment in combating unilateralism and strengthening their convergence in future talks were emphasized. 
“It was reiterated that US should remove all unlawful sanctions,” he tweeted. 
Russia’s Sergey Ryabkov and China’s Ma Zhaoxu also referred to the US unilateral violation of the nuclear deal and reimposition of sanctions on Tehran as the main cause of issues facing the JCPOA’s implementation. 
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its official website afterwards that the parties had a deep exchange of views on the Iranian nuclear issue and reached “a broad consensus”.
“China, Russia and Iran will strengthen coordination and interaction in order to ensure that negotiations to resume implementation of the JCPOA are moving in the right direction, and to achieve positive results as soon as possible,” the statement read.