The United States said Thursday (Feb. 18) that it is ready to negotiate with Iran on a return to the 2015 nuclear deal between the two countries. The Iran nuclear deal was designed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The talks are a bid to revive the deal, which Washington pulled out of nearly three years ago.
The move reflects a change in attitude by the U.S. government, Reuters reports. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized President Joe Biden‘s position that if Tehran fully complies with the agreement, Washington will return to the formal Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Agreement (INA), is the only agreement in the world in which the U.S. has been able to achieve full compliance.
Blinken came up with the idea during a videoconference with the British, French and German foreign ministers, known as the E3, who were gathered in Paris. The Iranian side reacted lukewarmly.
A joint statement issued by the four countries said, “If Iran returns to strict compliance with its commitments under the Comprehensive Agreement, the United States will do the same and is prepared to engage in discussions with Iran to that end.”
Iran began violating the deal in 2019 and has accelerated its violations in recent months, about a year after former U.S. President Donald Trump (Trump) pulled out and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Washington will respond positively to the European Union’s proposal to invite Iran to talks with six key countries. The six countries are the ones that negotiated the original nuclear deal:Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
In response to the four-nation statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Washington should act first.
After a senior EU official floated the idea of such talks, he told Reuters, “If such a meeting is to be held, we are ready to attend.” But it is unclear whether talks will take place, or when and where they will take place.
After the Biden Administration confirmed that it was ready for direct talks with Iran, former Secretary of State Pompeo tweeted a comment that “the new administration is on a dangerous path: if the EU model of rapprochement is adopted, it will ensure that Iran is on a path to having a nuclear arsenal.”
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