Biden confirms readiness for Iran deal talks – politics –

For this reason, the United States had extended the New Start disarmament treaty with Russia and was ready for further negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program with states party to the nuclear deal, from which the United States had unilaterally withdrawn under Biden’s predecessor, Donald. Trump. Earlier, the US State Department had publicly agreed to hold talks, and thus, for the first time in a long time, raised some hopes that the international nuclear deal with Iran (JCPOA) could be salvaged.

The United States would accept a possible invitation from the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, to a meeting with representatives of Iran and the other six contracting states to jointly find a diplomatic solution. As a result, Iran did not rule out a meeting on Friday. However, a State Department spokesman demanded that the United States first lift the sanctions against Iran’s economy that were introduced during President Donald Trump’s tenure.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed confidence on Friday that the nuclear deal could still be salvaged. “If everyone is convinced that this agreement must have another chance, then ways must be found to restart this agreement,” Merkel said. “At least I will do my best to give new impetus to the negotiations.” But there is still a “diplomatic balancing act or show of force” ahead.

The international agreement signed in Vienna to prevent an Iranian atomic bomb was recently on the brink of failure as the United States under Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and reintroduced sanctions. Iran responded, after a one-year waiting period, more and more of the obligations under the agreement are no longer being met. So it started with further uranium enrichment and metallic uranium production. In addition, it now works with faster centrifuges and stores much more uranium than allowed.

The Tehran government justified the measures by stating that it had been promised that economic isolation would be lifted in exchange for restricting its nuclear program. Because the United States also threatens companies in the EU and other countries with sanctions, almost no foreign companies do business with Iran.

Trump wanted to force Iran with maximum pressure to negotiate a new nuclear deal with stricter conditions. This new agreement should also extend to the country’s missile program. The leadership in Tehran rejected all this.

Observers in Tehran are of the opinion that regardless of the preconditions expressed, Iran would accept an invitation from the EU to meet with the five UN veto powers plus Germany. This is also supported by a phone call between President Hassan Rouhani and the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, on Wednesday. “The external representative of the EU (Josep Borrell) should resume the role of coordinator and take the necessary measures to save the Vienna Agreement,” Rouhani said in an interview with Michel. A spokesman for Borrell made it clear on Friday that the EU was ready to invite a meeting.

Israel, meanwhile, reiterated its rejection of the nuclear deal. “Israel’s position on the nuclear deal has not changed,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Israel assumes that a return to the old agreement will pave the way for Iran to develop a nuclear arsenal. Israel sees itself as existentially threatened by Iran. Netanyahu accuses Tehran of continuing to build nuclear weapons in secret despite the nuclear deal.

In Austria, which is not a contracting party but only hosted the negotiation and signing of the agreement, the Greens demanded signals from the United States and Iran and a mutual move to repair the trust that Trump had destroyed in 2018. “This is, and it is not. an exaggeration, of great importance for all world peace and foreign diplomacy, “said Greens foreign policy spokesperson Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic in a broadcast.