Nuclear Deal at Hand If Other Sides Give Lasting Commitments

Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani said an agreement on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, could be immediately achieved if the parties provide sustainable commitments to Tehran.
Baqeri Kani, who is also deputy foreign minister for political affairs, made the remarks in a recent meeting with Peter Sztaray, minister of state for security policy at Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in Budapest, on the first leg of his tour of several European countries, IRNA reported.
He said Iran believes a readiness by sides for “lasting commitments” will quickly lead to a deal, and “honoring commitments” will guarantee that the deal stays and lasts.
He also pointed to the Hungarian foreign minister’s visit to Iran last year, as well as the second meeting of the joint commission for Iran-Hungary economic cooperation in Tehran, saying the political resolve of the officials to strengthen bilateral relations is a strong support for business people in expanding bilateral commercial and economic exchanges.
The United States, under former president Donald Trump, abandoned the JCPOA in May 2018 and reinstated unilateral sanctions that the deal had lifted.
The talks to salvage the agreement started in the Austrian capital Vienna in April last year, months after Joe Biden succeeded Trump.
Despite notable progress, the US indecisiveness and procrastination caused multiple interruptions in the marathon talks.

Progressive Talks 

Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister hailed recent talks in New York and Vienna aimed at the removal of sanctions and revival of the nuclear deal as well as resolving disagreements with the UN nuclear agency as “progressive”.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Wednesday in a phone conversation with the European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

The top Iranian diplomat, referring to recent talks between head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi in Vienna, said “good” agreements were reached between the two sides.
He also pointed to indirect talks between Tehran and Washington on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York last month.
“In New York, indirect messages were being actively exchanged between Iran and the US and overall, we have had developing talks in New York and Vienna,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
Borrell expressed satisfaction with the progress in talks, stressing the need to continue efforts toward reaching a final agreement.
The European Union, he stressed, is ready for any sort of cooperation aimed at reaching a deal.
Describing recent talks between Iran and the IAEA as “promising”, the top EU diplomat termed it an important step on the path to reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The remarks come as Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to the Vienna-based international organizations, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that he expected the stalled talks in the Austrian capital to resume in mid-November.
On Monday, Amir-Abdollahian had said an agreement would be within reach if the US acted realistically and proceeded with the path agreed upon in a recent exchange of messages.
“We are optimistic,” Amir-Abdollahian told IRIB. “Currently, we have reached a point where there is a common understanding on various issues and this will help us act better and faster in the final steps of the agreement.”