Vienna deal still possible if US stops Trump's failed legacy: Iran Foreign Ministry spox

Members of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) gather under the chairmanship of Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, in Vienna, Austria, on May 19, 2021. (Photo by Anadolu Agency)

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says Tehran and the remaining signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal can still reach an agreement during the ongoing talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna only if the United States stops pursuing failed legacy of former president Donald Trump.

The US, under former president Trump, left the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018 and initiated a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, prompting Tehran to take remedial measures by gradually reducing its nuclear commitments under the deal.

Since April, representatives from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries – France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China -- have been holding talks in Vienna aimed at revitalizing the JCPOA and bringing the US back to compliance.

In a tweet on Saturday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said out of a steadfast commitment to salvage the JCPOA during Vienna talks, Iran has been the “most active party” by proposing the most drafts.

“Still believe a deal is possible, if the US decides to abandon Trump's failed legacy,” the Iranian spokesperson added.

He once again reiterated the Islamic Republic’s opposition to protracted negotiations and emphasized that Iran “will not negotiate forever.”

Following a year of strategic patience, Iran resorted to its legal rights stipulated in Article 26 of the JCPOA, which grants a party the right to suspend its contractual commitments in case of non-compliance by other signatories, and let go of some of the restrictions imposed on its nuclear energy program.

Now, the new US administration, under President Joe Biden, says it wants to compensate for Trump’s mistake and rejoin the deal, but it is showing an overriding propensity for maintaining some of the sanctions as a tool of pressure.

Tehran insists that all sanctions should first be removed in a verifiable manner before the Islamic Republic reverses its remedial measures.

Iran’s top negotiator in Vienna talks said last week that all documents are now almost ready for a final deal and it is time for other parties to the accord to make up their minds.

“We are now closer to an agreement than any time before, but bridging the gap between us and an agreement is not an easy task and needs decisions, which must be mostly made by the other parties,” Abbas Araqchi added.


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