Iran Remains Committed to Nuclear Deal, Won’t Negotiate Forever

US considers lifting sanctions from Ali Khamenei

Iranian officials say they hold a “steadfast commitment” to save the JCPOA nuclear deal, saying they’ve been the most active in the Vienna talks, but warning that they will not negotiate forever.

This is a common tactic in drawn-out negotiations, and it’s unsurprising that Iran is using it, as the Vienna talks have dragged on surprisingly long, considering the US is reportedly open to the deal.

To that end, the US has reportedly raising the possibility of removing sanctions from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It isn’t clear if they will, but the proposal clearly would be a major boost to the negotiation process.

In the long run, the sanctions relief needs to be broader than just the Ayatollah to save the nuclear deal. Iran’s comments show impatience with the US, which has come back into the negotiating process, but so far hasn’t actually done anything other than suggest that there might be a deal at some point in the future.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.