Calls on US to Facilitate Conclusion of Iran Nuclear Talks

As the party who created the Iranian nuclear issue, the United States should make political decisions as soon as possible, actively respond to the concerns of the Iranian side and facilitate smooth conclusion of negotiations on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, a Chinese senior diplomat said. 
“The Iranian nuclear talks have entered the final stage. At this juncture, parties should make greater efforts to resolve the outstanding issues at an early date and avoid letting previous efforts come to naught,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Thursday. 
Negotiations have been underway since April 2021 in the Austrian capital Vienna to restore Iran’s nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which offered sanctions lifting to Tehran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. 
The deal went out of shape when the US pulled out unilaterally and reimposed sweeping sanctions under a “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran, who responded by scaling down its commitments. 
The Vienna talks have been stalled for about two months over a few remaining differences, with both sides putting the onus on each other to make the required political decisions. 
A main sticking point is Iran’s demand for the removal of its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps from the list of terrorist organizations, which Washington refuses to entertain, arguing that it is beyond the scope of the JCPOA. 
US special envoy for Iran said in testimony to Congress on Wednesday that if Iran wanted any concession on something unrelated to the JCPOA, Washington would want reciprocal steps that would address its concerns. 
Iran maintains that the IRGC’s designation was part of the maximum pressure campaign and must be revoked before Tehran returns to its JCPOA commitments. 
The US strategy, according to Malley, is fully reviving the JCPOA, “if Iran is willing to do so,” and building on that deal, while deterring and responding to what he called Iranian threats. 
He added, however, that the prospects to revive the deal are “tenuous” at best, and that Washington was ready to tighten sanctions and act with Israel and others to counter the perceived Iranian threat if shaky efforts to revive the JCPOA fail. 
Wang highlighted Malley’s confession that the maximum pressure policy has failed, saying it is odd that while acknowledging its own mistakes, the US is still tightening sanctions on Iran, instead of reflecting on its approach. 
“Such moves won’t help break the deadlock on the talks, but will only undermine the negotiation process and further tarnish the US reputation,” he said.