The Americans during the UN General Assembly in New York conveyed messages to Iranian representatives about US President Joe Biden's intentions to implement the Joint comprehensive plan of action on the Iranian nuclear program (JCPOA), Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told a press conference on Wednesday following talks with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
"You know, when I was in New York at the time, I received messages through intermediaries from the Americans. The essence of these messages was that the Americans tried to emphasize that the respected Mr. Biden had serious intentions for the implementation of the JCPOA, as well as to pay special attention to the realization of the rights and interests of the people of Iran within the framework of these agreements," the Iranian foreign minister said.
At the same time, he said, it was necessary to ascertain whether the US really had serious intentions, for example, on the issue of "whether they were ready to unblock $10 billion of Iranian assets in foreign banks".
The minister also noted that Tehran is taking stock of the details of the nuclear deal and is working on the issue of returning to negotiations in Vienna. "In the near future, we will determine the timeframe for returning to negotiations," the Iranian foreign minister said.
Face-to-face talks between Iran and the international 5 (Russia, Britain, Germany, China and France) have been underway in Vienna since April to restore the original 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, the Joint comprehensive plan of action on Iran's nuclear program, from which the US withdrew in 2018. Experts in three working groups are working on the text of an agreement to resume implementation of the JCPOA: the removal of US sanctions on Iran (and further US return to the deal) and the implementation of Iran's nuclear obligations, from which it has significantly deviated. Representatives of the states participating in the deal are also holding separate consultations with the US delegation, which is now considering returning to the JCPOA, which Israel opposes. There have been no direct talks between US emissaries and Iranian representatives in Vienna.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS