Iran seeks a good, lasting and strong agreement on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, but will not agree to any accord at any price, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
“We must fully enjoy the economic benefits of this deal,” he said in a televised interview on Thursday, ISNA reported.
The nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, offered sanctions relief to Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear activity, but the United States pulled out four years ago and reimposed tough sanctions that prompted Iran to scale down its commitments in response,
Negotiations have been underway for more than a year in Vienna, Austria, to work out how both sides can resume compliance.
The talks reached an impasse in March and European Union-mediated proximity negotiations in Doha, Qatar, failed to help remove the final obstacles, although they kept doors open for continued diplomacy.
“There is a text ready before us, 96% of whose contents have been agreed upon, but there is still a major shortcoming in this document,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
He added that Iran does not wish to be taken twice in the same snare, so the US must give guarantees and undertakings.
“The Americans have not assured us that we can enjoy the economic benefits of the JCPOA completely,” he said, adding that consultations and exchange of messages continue toward this end.
The US argues that the onus to restore the deal lies with Tehran who needs to drop what they call their “extraneous demands”.
US Iran envoy Robert Malley claimed in a recent interview with CNN that the terms for reviving the JCPOA had been agreed by all parties in the talks other than Iran, including Russia, as well as China, France, Germany and Britain.
US Indecision
Referring to a recent visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran, he suggested Iran has had to turn to Moscow as a result of not getting back into the deal.
“It can opt for a position of relative dependency on Russia … or it can choose to come back into the deal that’s been negotiated ... and have normal economic relations with its neighborhood and with Europe and the rest of the world.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said such remarks cannot divert attention from the US failure to make the political decision needed to reach an agreement on the nuclear deal.
“False dichotomy btwn JCPOA [of which Iran, unlike US, remains a party] & good ties btwn Iran & its neighbors, inc. Russia, doesn’t hide the fact that indecision of the unfaithful US is the main hurdle for a deal,” he said in a tweet.
He added that Iran’s “neighborly policy is not contingent on JCPOA or US permission.”
Amir-Abdollahian also stressed that the Iranian government’s foreign policy regarding the JCPOA involves participation at the negotiating table as part of a “negotiation campaign” to ensure the lifting of sanctions on the one hand, but pursuing a plan for sustainable economic development without regard to the deal at the same time.
Along this line, the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi has drawn up an agenda for boosting international relations, giving priority to neighboring and Asian countries, he added.
