Iran Committed to Negotiations to Resolve Nuclear Standoff 

Tehran is committed to negotiations on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal to address the remaining differences, a senior diplomat said. 
“Iran will remain in the course of negotiations so far as the other sides are committed to this multilateral diplomatic process,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Naser Kanaani said at a regular press briefing on Monday, ISNA reported.
He added that the window for diplomacy and dialogue on the remaining issues is still open thanks to Iran’s responsible and wise behavior. 
Talks have been underway for more than a year in the Austrian capital Vienna to restore the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which has been unravelling since the United States pulled out and Tehran began exceeding its nuclear limits in response to Washington’s reimposition of sweeping sanctions. 
The Vienna talks reached an impasse in March and European Union-brokered proximity negotiations in Doha, Qatar late last month failed to help tackle the final differences. 
The exchange of messages, however, continues as before between the Iranian and EU top diplomats and negotiators, according to Kanaani. 
“I believe the date and venue for the next round [of Doha talks] will soon be determined,” he said, stressing that the absence of a schedule does not indicate the end of negotiations.
He reiterated that Iran is serious in efforts to reach an agreement which secures the economic interests of the Iranian nation under the JCPOA and has so far put forward the most number of initiatives toward this end. 
“It is particularly the American side which must make a political decision whether it wants the negotiations to conclude in the future or not,” he said. 
He expressed hope that the negotiations can be concluded in near future with good faith on the part of the other participants, including the US who is responsible for the present condition of Vienna talks. 

Political Decision

Tehran blames the US for the deadlock in negotiations, saying it fails to present political initiative and sticks with previous positions. 
“If the US government acts responsibly and makes a political decision to meet its obligations and once Iran’s economic interests under the JCPOA are guaranteed, then Tehran will return to the deal,” Kanaani said. 
Washington maintains that the onus is on Iran to make a political decision to return to mutual compliance with the deal. 
The Iranian diplomat said shooting the ball into Iran’s court is a futile policy. 
“The government who exited the deal illegally and unilaterally and inflicted massive damage on the Iranian nation cannot take the position of a claimant and rebuke the Iranian side,” he said. 
Following Doha talks, Western countries accused Iran of making extraneous and maximalist demands and raising issues that were either beyond the purview of the JCPOA or already settled to delay the process. 
Kanaani denied such claims, saying no demand outside the scope of the deal has been raised by Iran.
“A return to the 2015 agreement is our principled position,” he said. 
He also said the violating parties have no right to speak as a plaintiff and the party who questions and threatens. 
The spokesman underlined that it was the US who quit the deal and breached its obligations while the European parties did nothing but lip service despite pledges to make up for the US exit. 
“So the one who can act as the party who demands and questions is Iran,” he said. 
Tehran wants a complete removal of sanctions, plus guarantees that its economic benefits under the JCPOA would not be jeopardized again in the future. 
US President Joe Biden refuses to entertain Iran’s legitimate demands and has recently vowed to continue to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran, saying it will unite with its allies and partners to isolate the country until it returns to the JCPOA. 
President Ebrahim Raisi advised the US administration to see the realities and take a lesson from the past instead of repeating the failed experience of imposing maximum pressure on the Iranian nation. 
“The Islamic Republic will not retreat from its rightful and logical stance,” he said.