The Islamic Republic of Iran has put forward several special initiatives and proposals on the nuclear agreement during the visit of Enrique Mora, the European Union's coordinator at the talks in Vienna, to Tehran. IRNA news agency reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday. He said the European emissary held several rounds of constructive talks with Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the Iranian delegation Ali Bagheri Kani.
"We passed on our proposals through the Spanish diplomat and are now waiting for a response from Washington," Khatibzadeh said. - "We can return to Vienna if the US responds to Iranian initiatives." As the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed, "If Washington makes a political decision, it will be a good incentive to move the negotiations forward." "US President [Joe] Biden should finally decide whether he will fulfill the obligations of the nuclear agreement or continue the policies of his predecessor [Donald] Trump," Khatibzadeh noted.
On May 13, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that negotiators in Vienna on restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program could come to an agreement if the United States complies with its obligations. He discussed by telephone with European Union diplomatic chief Josep Borrel the results of a May 10-12 visit to Tehran by Enrique Mora, the EU negotiating coordinator in Vienna. According to the minister, the Spanish diplomat's visit "was another opportunity to focus on initiatives to resolve outstanding issues in the Vienna talks." However, Abdollahian did not specify what kind of initiatives he was referring to.
The Joint Commission of Iran and the "Five" of international mediators (Russia, Britain, Germany, China and France) had been meeting in the Austrian capital since January. Separately, consultations were held with US emissaries, given the likely return of the U.S. to the JCPOA. Negotiations were suspended on March 11 after Tehran demanded that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, an elite unit of the Iranian Armed Forces) be removed from the US sanctions list and the list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Agreements with Iran were reached in 2015 to address the crisis surrounding its nuclear program. Previous US President Donald Trump decided in 2018 to withdraw from the JCPOA. The current head of the US administration, Joe Biden, has repeatedly signaled his willingness to bring the US back into the nuclear deal with Tehran.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS