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Brussels: Iran and major powers agreed at the end of Friday’s talks to hold a new meeting next week in Vienna, to which Washington would join without direct talks with Tehran, as part of a new boost to diplomatic efforts aimed at to return. United States to the agreement on the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic.
Representatives from Iran and the five countries that are still in the agreement (France, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and China) held a meeting via video technology to discuss ways for Washington to return to the 2015 Vienna Agreement, from the which Washington unilaterally withdrew in 2018, and Tehran’s return to fully respect its obligations under it.
Positions differ between Washington and Tehran on who should take the first step, calling on the United States to honor Iran’s promises first, while the latter emphasizes the priority of lifting sanctions.
The meeting agreed to hold a meeting Tuesday in the Austrian capital, according to the European Union.
Washington confirmed its presence, but without participating directly in the talks, while the European Union confirmed that the coordinating parties would make “separate contacts” between the parties to the agreement, on the one hand, and the United States.
Washington welcomed a “step forward” but said it did not expect “immediate progress” but “difficult discussions.” In response to a question about the sanctions that the US government could lift, a US spokeswoman declined to comment, but confirmed that the matter would be on the table in Vienna.
Washington, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the agreement and reimposed tough economic sanctions on Tehran. On the other hand, the latter, after almost a year in retirement, backtracked on the implementation of many of its basic obligations under it.
While the new president of the United States, Joe Biden, has expressed his intention to return to the agreement, positions differ between Washington and Tehran regarding who should take the first step, as he demands that the United States first respect Iran for its promises, while the latter emphasizes the priority of lifting sanctions.
According to a statement issued after the meeting of the Joint Committee on the Nuclear Agreement on Friday, the participants will meet in Vienna “to clearly define the procedures for lifting the sanctions and implementing the nuclear agreement, including by holding meetings of the groups of relevant experts “.
The statement emphasized that the coordinating parties “will intensify separate contacts in Vienna with all those involved in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the official designation of the nuclear deal) and the United States.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that the meeting will take place on Tuesday without direct talks between Iran and the United States.
He wrote on Twitter that the purpose of the meeting was “to quickly finalize (the steps) the lifting of nuclear sanctions and measures for a coordinated cancellation of all sanctions, followed by the suspension of corrective measures by Iran.”
“There is no Iranian-American meeting, it is not necessary,” he added.
Zarif’s political affairs aide Abbas Araghchi confirmed that “the Iranian delegation will not negotiate at any level with the US delegation,” adding that the United States “will not participate in any meeting Iran is attending, including the committee meeting. set”. of the nuclear agreement “.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed that his country remains open to direct talks.
“We do not expect immediate progress as we will have difficult conversations ahead. But we believe this is a useful step forward.”
“Currently we do not expect direct talks between the United States and Iran to take place as part of this process, but the United States is open to the matter,” he added.
A “key opportunity” to reactivate the agreement
Enrique Mora, a European diplomat and assistant to the EU foreign minister, described Friday’s meeting as “positive” but warned that much more needs to be done to reactivate the agreement.
“We have fundamental work ahead of us to achieve a fundamental opportunity to revive the JCPOA,” Mora wrote on Twitter after chairing today’s meeting.
A senior EU official said Brussels hopes to reach a final agreement on the United States’ return to the deal in the next two months, that is, before the presidential elections scheduled in Iran on June 18.
He explained that two groups of experts from the countries that are still part of the agreement will work in parallel, one focused on the United States sanctions and the second on the return of Iran to its obligations.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas welcomed the meeting that will take place next week.
“It is good that all interested parties are meeting in Vienna next week,” he said.
“We have no time to lose.” A fully respected treaty again (the nuclear deal) will be an addition to security throughout the region and the best possible basis for discussions on other important issues related to regional stability. “
Russia, for its part, has shown cautious positivity.
“The impression is that we are on the right track, but the road ahead is not easy and will require intense efforts,” Mikhail Ulyanov, Moscow’s representative to international organizations in Vienna, wrote in tweets. It seems that the parties (involved) are prepared for that. “
“A possible return of the United States to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will apparently require Washington’s full commitment to the nuclear deal,” he said, noting that Tuesday’s meeting “will discuss the practicalities of lifting the sanctions, in addition to the return of They will go to the plenary session. ” fulfillment of its nuclear obligations “.
Friday’s meeting was the first meeting of the “Joint Committee” on the Iran nuclear deal since Biden took office in January.
The fate of the nuclear deal has remained on hold since Trump’s unilateral withdrawal.
The agreement between Tehran and the great powers was concluded in 2015 amid years of difficult negotiations, and allowed the lifting of many economic sanctions that were imposed on the Islamic Republic, in exchange for reducing its nuclear activities and imposing restrictions that ensure peace. of your program.
(AFP)
