JCPOA Talks to Resume This Week 

The new round of talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal is scheduled to be held no later than this week, according to a senior diplomat. 
“The exact date has been fixed … the negotiations will be held in the coming days and in the course of this week,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a regular press briefing on Monday, ISNA reported. 
The venue, which is to be in a Persian Gulf state, has also been almost agreed upon and will be announced as soon as the decision is finalized, he added. 
Mohammad Marandi, a media adviser to Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, said on Monday that Iran has chosen Qatar to host the talks because of Doha’s friendly ties with Tehran.
Reuters quoted an Iranian official as saying that Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani will be in Doha for the talks on June 28 and 29. 
A source briefed about the matter has also said that US Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, is expected to arrive in Doha on Monday and will meet with the Qatari foreign minister, according to the news agency. 
The negotiations aim to work out how the United States and Iran can return to compliance with the nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The agreement offered sanctions relief to Iran in return for restrictions on its nuclear activity, but the US pulled out in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran, which responded by exceeding the limits of the deal. 
The talks began in Vienna, Austria, in April 2021 with the participation of the remaining parties, namely France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China, as well as the European Union who acted as intermediary.
Despite agreement on the majority of issues over 11 months of on-and-off discussions, the negotiations were paused in March over a few remaining differences. 

Trilateral Format 

EU coordinator of the JCPOA Josep Borrell could eventually break the impasse following meetings with US and Iranian officials last week. 
The talks are now set to be resumed, but in a trilateral format, between Iran and the US facilitated by the EU, and in a different location. 
Khatibzadeh said the other parties have not been excluded but will be briefed about the development of the talks by the facilitator.
 “What has remained are only a few differences between Iran and the US over sanctions lifting,” he said. 
Moreover, nothing is to be added or removed from the previous agreements reached in Vienna, according to the diplomat. 
He also said the change in the location of the talks must not be seen as a signal since it is ordinary practice. 
“The host country’s good relations with all sides and its logistical preparedness to hold such negotiations are often taken into consideration.” 
The new round of talks will be held at the level of deputy foreign ministers and political directors, but if a deal is reached, foreign ministers will meet for finalization, Khatibzadeh said.
The EU ramped up its efforts to bring the negotiations back on track after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors passed a western-sponsored resolution against Iran in early June, according to the spokesman. 
“In a contact with [Foreign Minister Hossein] Amir-Abdollahian, Borrell suggested that the talks be pursued based on the initiative proposed by Iran before the IAEA resolution,” he said. 
The European diplomat was then invited over to Tehran so that the US response to this proposal could be reviewed, he added. 
“The ball is in Washington’s court and if Americans attend the talks with a suitable answer, we can move toward a final agreement,” Khatibzadeh said, stressing that Iran’s countermeasures are all reversible provided that the other side meets its commitments in full. 
He confirmed that agreements have been made on content and form of a deal, but whether or not the US will act based on plans remains to be seen. 
Iran demands the complete removal of all aspects of the US maximum pressure in addition to assurances that it will get full economic benefit from the JCPOA.