Chance to Restore JCPOA Not Available Forever

The window of opportunity for reviving the 2015 nuclear deal is open, but will not remain open forever, Iran’s foreign minister said. 
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also said on Twitter that in his recent meeting with European Union coordinator Josep Borrell, they agreed on taking the final steps for an agreement on restoring the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.  
The JCPOA curbed Iran’s nuclear activity in return for sanctions relief, but the United States pulled out in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions that prompted Tehran to row back on its commitments. 
Negotiations have been underway since early last year in Vienna, Austria, to work out how both sides can resume compliance, but have been stalled for months over final differences. 
Iran continues to engage through the EU, but American officials claim they have shifted focus toward other developments, including the unrest in Iran and Tehran’s alleged supply of arms to Russia. 
Following a meeting with Borrell on the sidelines of Baghdad II meeting in Amman, Jordan, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran is ready to conclude the Vienna talks on the basis of the draft that was drawn up after months of hard and intense negotiations. 
He also called on the other sides to avoid politicization, adopt a “constructive and realistic” approach and make the required political decisions to close a deal. 
Borrell also reiterated the EU’s will to advance and conclude talks. 
He said afterwards that the meeting was “necessary”, adding they agreed to “keep communication open”.
In a recent blog post, he said he still believes that when it comes to nuclear non-proliferation, there is no alternative to the JCPOA.
“Those who think otherwise simply fool themselves,” he said. “This is why, as coordinator, I continue working towards restoring the JCPOA based on the results of the Vienna negotiations.” 
He also stressed that bringing the JCPOA back to life does not happen in a strategic vacuum, but is a key part of a broader picture.

Political Solution 

During the meeting in Amman, the Iranian and European diplomat also discussed the situation in Ukraine where Russia is running a military operation. 
“Urged a political solution in Ukraine,” Amir-Abdollahian said in his tweet. 
Iran is opposed to war and advocates a political solution to the crisis through dialogue, but maintains that the root causes of the problem need to be addressed. 
Ukraine and western countries, however, accuse Iran of supplying drones for Moscow, which Iran strongly denies, although asserting that a small number of aerial vehicles had been delivered to Russia months before the onset of the war. 
Borrell said that in his meeting with Amir-Abdollahian, he “urged the Foreign Minister to continue the direct conversation with his Ukrainian counterparts.” 
The Iranian top diplomat also expressed Iran’s readiness to clear any misunderstanding in direct contact with the Ukrainian side. 
This is while the US and its European allies have supplied large consignments of heavy weaponry to Kiev since the start of the war. 
Amir-Abdollahian highlighted that Washington is in no position to lecture others on human rights.
“Neither Guantanamo & AbuGhraib, nor crimes against women/children in Yemen & Afgh., allow the US to preach others,” Amir-Abdollahian said on Twitter, referring to examples of US record of rights violation in two prisons, as well as two Middle East countries. 
Western countries have also been criticizing Iran for what they call a crackdown on protesters following the death of a young girl in police custody in September. 
The unrest that began about three months ago later developed into violent clashes between rioters and security forces, leading to the death of about 200 people, according to Iranian sources. 
While Tehran blames the West, particularly the US, for provoking violence to destabilize the country, those states have been taking hostile measures against Iran on human rights charges. 
“The Islamic Republic should listen to its own citizens, instead of repressing them,” Borrell said in meddlesome remarks on his blog. 
Iranian officials say countries with multiple examples of human rights violations on their record cannot lay such charges against Iran.