Iran is ready to return to the final stage of negotiations on the nuclear deal, but without preconditions and on the condition of a "realistic approach" on the part of the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said this on Thursday in an interview with TRT World.
"We have approached the final stages of the agreement several times. However, at these stages, sometimes the US has put forward ideas or excuses. Take, for example, the peak of the turmoil in Iran. On the one hand, the Americans were sending us messages that they were ready for the final stages of the deal. They were saying that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was not a US priority, and that the unrest in Iran and the situation in Iran were American priorities. Then I announced that the Americans should clarify their positions on the messages they're sending us through official channels and the contradictory comments they're making in the media," he said.
The Iranian foreign minister noted that "the Americans have insisted through diplomatic channels that a deal must be reached and Tehran is ready to reach a final conclusion point without preconditions." "We are ready to take the last step in previous negotiations, but without preconditions, with a realistic approach [by the United States] and in order to protect the rights and realize Iran's national interests. In any case, we are committed to the path of diplomacy. We believe that negotiations for the sake of negotiations do not bring results," Abdollahian stated.
The day before, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the reinstatement of the nuclear deal with Iran is not currently on the table between Washington and Tehran.
The JCPOA was signed with Iran in 2015 to address the crisis over its nuclear developments by the permanent UN Security Council Five and Germany. The previous US president, Republican Donald Trump, decided in 2018 to withdraw from the arrangement. The current US leader, Democrat Joe Biden, has repeatedly signaled a willingness to bring Washington back into the nuclear deal with Tehran. 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. However, in November, Biden admitted at a closed-door meeting with Democratic Party supporters that the nuclear deal with Iran is effectively dead, although Washington, according to him, does not intend to publicly state such a position. A video of the meeting went public in December.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS