The United States is ready to return to negotiations on restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told Al-Alam TV on Sunday.
According to Abdollahian, his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein has received assurances from US administration officials that Washington remains interested in resolving differences with Tehran that are preventing a revival of the nuclear deal.
"Mr. Fuad Hussein following his recent visit to Washington informed us that the US side is willing to discuss an agreement [on Iran's nuclear program] in order to achieve specific results. We welcomed and welcome the diplomatic dialogue, we have never avoided contacts, and we are ready to exchange views with the American side both through mediators and directly within the framework of the Vienna talks," Abdollahian said, commenting on the outcome of the meeting with Hussein that took place in Baghdad on February 22.
In addition, the Iranian foreign minister said he believes it is possible to restore the nuclear deal.
"Based on the message that Mr. Fuad Hussein conveyed from the American side, I personally see that reaching an agreement is possible because the American side has demonstrated its willingness to take the necessary steps," the minister stressed.
"The problem, however, is that the Americans' diplomatic signals contradict their public statements. They send positive signals through diplomatic channels, whereas they say very different words in the media space," he added.
Baghdad mediation
Earlier, Abdollahian met with Hussein to discuss, in addition to bilateral relations and regional cooperation, the results of the Iraqi diplomatic chief's recent visit to the United States. At the end of that meeting, Hussein expressed hope that "Washington and Tehran will return to the talks in Vienna."
According to Iraqi sources, one of the main goals of Abdollahian's visit to the Iraqi capital is to discuss Baghdad mediation between Iran and the United States. The offer of mediation to Tehran was made by Iraq after Hussein's visit to the United States and his talks with representatives of the US administration ended in mid-February. Sources indicate that the Iraqi minister also discussed the same ideas in Washington, where they were received positively.
It is noted that Iraq hopes to provide political assistance in resolving the differences between Iran and the US on issues related to the Iranian nuclear dossier and the resumption of the stalled negotiations to restore the JCPOA. Iran has expressed support for Baghdad's mediation efforts.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed with Iran in 2015 to address the crisis over its nuclear developments by the permanent UN Security Council five and Germany. In 2018, previous US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the arrangement. Current US leader Joe Biden has repeatedly signaled a willingness to bring Washington back into the nuclear deal.
Russia, Britain, Germany, China, the US and France have been negotiating with Iran in Vienna since April 2021 to restore the JCPOA to its original form. On November 10, 2022, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Raphael Grossi said that the next round of talks with representatives of Iran ended in the Austrian capital without any result.
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Based on materials from TASS