Iran’s President Optimistic on Progress of Vienna Talks

Iran's foreign minister said the onus is on the US to revive nuclear deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke positively of the indirect negotiations between the US and Iran that resumed in Vienna on Friday.

Because President Biden refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions on Iran, the two sides are negotiating what measures the US will lift. Rouhani said progress has been made on most major sanctions.

“We’ve reached a point where the Americans and the Europeans are saying openly they have no choice but to lift sanctions and return to the [nuclear deal], and that almost all main sanctions have been lifted and talks continue on some details,” he said on Saturday.

Saturday marked exactly three years since President Trump announced he was withdrawing from the JCPOA. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif took the anniversary to remind President Biden that the US is the party that violated the 2015 nuclear deal and said the “onus” is on Wahington to revive the agreement.

“As we try to revive JCPOA in Vienna, it’s necessary to remember how it all started. 3 years ago today, a disgraced buffoon violated US obligations under JCPOA & UNSCR 2231,” Zarif wrote on Twitter. “Today, @POTUS  has to decide whether US continues lawlessness or adheres to law. Onus is on US, not Iran.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.