Time for Decisions to Conclude Nuclear Agreement

The European Union foreign policy chief said decisions are needed now if there is a will to conclude an agreement on restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 
“This is still possible, but the political space to revive the #JCPOA may narrow soon,” Josep Borrell said on Twitter after a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday. 
Amir-Abdollahian said Iran remains ready to negotiate a strong and durable agreement, but stressed that it is possible “only based on mutual understanding & interests,” according to his tweet. 
Negotiations have been underway since April 2021 in Vienna, Austria, to give new life to JCPOA which lost shape following the United States’ withdrawal and reimposition of tough sanctions four years ago that prompted Tehran to react by rowing back on its nuclear commitments. 
The talks reached a deadlock in March, but the EU as coordinator arranged indirect talks between the US and Iran in Doha, Qatar, to settle their bilateral differences, so that all parties could gather in Vienna to conclude a deal. 
The first round of talks ended almost fruitlessly last week with both sides blaming each other for the lack of progress. 
Tehran says it was due to the US continued refusal to provide the required guarantees for Iran’s future economic benefits, while American officials accuse Iran of raising issues outside the scope of the deal. 
“US must decide if it wants a deal or insists on sticking to its unilateral demands. Mutually exclusive,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

Disregarding Demanded Guarantees      

US Iran envoy Robert Malley argued that it is Iran who has not made the fundamental decision to come back to the original deal. 
“They are going to have to decide sooner or later because at some point, the deal will be a thing of the past,” he said in a recent interview. 
During Doha talks, the EU negotiators put on the table very detailed outlines of what they think a fair outcome would be, according to Malley. 
He claimed that “the party that has not said yes is Iran,” while the US team has said it is prepared to take that deal. 
“So … the party that needs to provide an answer now is Iran,” he said. 
Iranian officials maintain that the US is insisting on its proposed draft text in Vienna that excludes any guarantees for Iran’s economic benefit.  
US State Department Ned Price also said in a recent briefing that “there has been a deal on the table that has been more or less finalized for several months now,” to which Iran needs to answer. 
He alleged that Iran has instead consistently introduced extraneous demands in recent weeks and months that “go beyond the four walls of the JCPOA.”
“To introduce anything that goes beyond the narrow confines of the JCPOA suggests a lack of seriousness … and commitment,” he said. 
Amir-Abdollahian had earlier censured the US for repeating previous positions in Doha instead of making political initiatives. 
He underscored that constructive talks depend on the US “initiative and flexibility.” 
The two sticking points, according to Iranian officials include assurances that sanctions would not be imposed again later or under a new administration, as well as differences over the delisting of blacklisted individuals and entities.