Photos released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry show Iranian diplomats holding a video conference with representatives of key countries in Tehran on April 2, 2021, regarding the nuclear deal. EU representatives are also present.
The Iranian government wants the United States to lift all sanctions against Iran and rejects any “gradual” easing of restrictions.
The two countries said Friday they will hold indirect talks in Vienna starting next week as part of broader negotiations to restart Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with global powers. The State Department said the focus will be on “the nuclear steps Iran needs to take to return to compliance with the deal.”
Iranian state television Press TV reported Saturday (April 3) that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the same day that Tehran opposes any gradual easing of sanctions.
“Gradual easing of sanctions is not in Iran’s consideration at the moment,” Khadibzadeh told Press TV, adding that “the ultimate policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the removal of all sanctions by the United States.”
The Joint Commission on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal) held an online meeting on Friday (April 2) to discuss the possibility of a U.S. return to the nuclear deal. The committee said it will meet next week in Vienna to continue consultations.
According to Reuters, a senior EU official said after Friday’s meeting that we are negotiating a list of nuclear obligations and a list of sanctions to be lifted. The official said the negotiations are aimed at reaching an agreement within two months. Iran holds presidential elections in June, and a new president and government will create uncertainty about the outcome of the negotiations.
A Western diplomat said shuttle diplomacy will be used during the negotiations.
Iran reached the Iran nuclear deal with the United States, Britain, France, Russia, the Communist Party of China and Germany in July 2015. Under the deal, Iran pledged to limit its nuclear program and the international community lifted sanctions on Iran.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, and the U.S. also imposed tough sanctions on Iran, hitting the Iranian economy hard. Iran, for its part, responded by increasing its nuclear enrichment activities. Upon taking office, President Biden expressed a willingness to return to this nuclear deal, but only if Iran halts uranium enrichment and returns to its obligations under the deal.
U.S. officials have expressed a desire for direct dialogue with the Iranian side, though Tehran has ruled out face-to-face bilateral discussions in Vienna next week. Representatives of both countries are reported to be present in the Austrian capital. Washington welcomed the move as a “healthy step” that would help focus efforts to bring the parties back into compliance with the agreement.
Secretary of State John Blinken has said that, ultimately, the next Iran deal must last “longer and stronger,” meaning it must last beyond 2030, when many of the fuel production restrictions in the last deal will expire.
Equally important, in the view of Biden administration officials, is that the new deal must be tied to restrictions on Iran’s missile capabilities and its support for terrorist groups, as well as aid to the Syrian government.
Outsiders are currently unsure about the prospects for negotiations, with both the United States and Iran now insisting that the other take the first step. However, Ali Akbar Salehi, chairman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in a conversation with thousands of participants on the audio chat app Clubhouse, “I am optimistic.”
Salehi noted that all the steps Iran has taken to refine higher levels of enriched nuclear fuel are reversible for several months. Such an arrangement gives Iran leverage in negotiations, he said.
Observers believe the nuclear talks between the two countries face some resistance in addition to the U.S. and Iran’s insistence that the other make concessions first. Iran has interpreted the verification requirements in the deal narrowly and has refused to answer questions from the International Atomic Energy Agency (International IAEA Agency) about radioactive particles. Verifiers have found radioactive particles in Tehran from a number of sites that were not declared nuclear projects.
In addition, even if the agreement restores the status quo, the Biden administration will face issues that were not addressed by the 2015 agreement. For example, what kind of restrictions will be placed on Iran after 2030; how the world can limit Iran’s missile program and how to limit Iran’s military support for Hezbollah, Hamas, Shiite militia groups and Syrian leader Assad.
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