Russian Diplomat Says Real Chance Exists to Resolve All Issues in JCPOA Talks
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Russian diplomat said that despite the difficult situation in the negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, there is a real chance to settle all issues via diplomacy.
Russia’s Ambassador to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Wednesday that he saw “a real chance” for an agreement during this round of talks in Vienna.
Speaking to reporters, the Russian lead negotiator said it was necessary for both Iran and the United States to return to compliance with the provisions of the nuclear deal.
“The Americans must first of all lift the sanctions, and Iran must bring its nuclear program in line with the parameters laid down in the JCPOA,” he said.
He spoke of a “very difficult” situation and “a lot of differences” existing between Tehran and Washington both in the previous and present rounds of negotiations and said, “Nevertheless, we think there is still a real chance to resolve all issues through diplomacy and negotiation.”
The Russian diplomat explained that most of these differences stem from Iran’s retaliatory steps away from the deal, but said it was “important to understand that this happened not because of Tehran’s ill will, but as a reaction to the irresponsible policy of the US maximum pressure with extraterritorial sanctions and other forms of pressure on Tehran. Tehran is resisting. And this could have been expected, no surprise.”
A seventh round of the talks to revive the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), started in the Austrian capital on Monday.
The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and the Group 5+1 and endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
However, then-US president Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the nuclear deal in May 2018 and reinstated the anti-Iranian sanctions that had been lifted by the deal.
As the remaining European parties have failed to fulfill their commitments to the accord and compensate for Washington’s absence, Iran moved in May 2019 to scale back its JCPOA commitments.
Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA have held six rounds of talks in Vienna, which began after the US administration of Joe Biden voiced a willingness to rejoin the nuclear agreement, to examine the prospect of the bans’ fresh removal.
Vienna is now hosting the first round of JCPOA negotiations after the new Iranian administration took office in August.
