US officials are “highly skeptical” that renewed talks with Iran will revive the nuclear deal and are discussing imposing harsh penalties against Tehran, CNN reported on Friday.
On Tuesday, Iran said it was ready to return to indirect negotiations with the US in Vienna to revive the nuclear deal. Iran didn’t specify a date, but the EU said Friday that it is working on setting one.
Despite Tehran’s willingness to restart talks, US officials are saying that they don’t think Iran is serious about reviving the deal. One US official told CNN that Iran’s public statement didn’t “give us a huge amount of optimism.”
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Thursday that it’s not “entirely clear” to him “whether the Iranians are prepared” to restart negotiations. “We have heard positive signals that they are but I think we have to wait and see when and whether they actually show up in the negotiating table,” he said.
While US officials claim Tehran is not serious about the talks, the fact is, the Biden administration is to blame for the failure to revive the JCPOA at this point. During the initial round of negotiations that lasted from April to June, Biden refused to lift all Trump-era sanctions, forcing Iran to negotiate limited sanctions relief.
The talks concluded on June 20th with the two sides far apart on key issues. Iran wanted a guarantee from the US that it wouldn’t withdraw from the JCPOA again as the Trump administration did in 2018, and a recent report from Responsible Statecraft revealed that Biden wouldn’t even commit to staying in the JCPOA during his first term in office.
The government of Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi has been reviewing the initial round of talks and has good reason to believe the US is not serious about giving Iran enough sanctions relief based on Biden’s hardline stance. On top of that, the US has maintained virtually all Trump-era sanctions and continues to impose new ones.
The CNN report cited sources in Washington that said there is an “ongoing” debate within the Biden administration over how to increase pressure on Iran. President Biden is expected to discuss potential steps with the European signatories to the JCPOA — the UK, France, and Germany — in Rome on Saturday.
Here we go — predictable! Iran must cone to negotiate, Iran must come! Iran made several proposals on how to proceed. What their expectations are. As far as I know, not one proposal was tabled by US. So, since Iranian suggestions are not good enough, US should put something up for discussion.
If it turns out that Iran will come to Vienna, and find out that US has no objective other than tell Iran that current deal is no good — it is a waste of time. That could be done by e-mail.
Let me remain positive. If Biden administration has a constructive proposal to get things started — that would be good news. Perhaps US role can start changing from the chaos maker to stabilizing presence. However, if the process starts with a typical capitulation diplomacy list of conditions — it will go nowhere.
In that case Iran should present its own list of all expenses that Iran incurred by bringing the delegation to Vienna. Airline tickets, hotel, other expenses — and made US delegation aware just how many concrete needs could have been met by this sum of money.
Better yet, recommend e-mail or zoom meetings until it becomes clearer just exactly what does US negotiating team expects from the process.
Typical USA- they walk away from the original “nuclear’ deal and now they act like Iran is the boondoggle! Is Iran threatening everyone around them with attack? No. Is Israel? Yes. This problem will never go away until the REAL warmongering criminal parties are dealt with. And they don’t live in Iran! Peace is a cancer to the USA and Israel.
Israel not only threatens, they carry out attacks.
Yes, I agree with the “US” on this one … I’m skeptical too that Iran would be interested in the surrender demanded by the Biden admin.
So we will meet with EU3 satraps and issue new orders and see what comes of it.
This is like hearing a sick fucking joke over and over again. And it’s never funny.
Well, CNN and the Times seem to never get tired of the joke, so it goes on, even if no one is watching.
if i was russia i would make a nuclear deal with iran and then recommend that iran simply tell uncle sam to ‘suck it’. – problem solved.
The hypocrisy is endemic in the US its fawning cowardly allies and the “free ” media
Nah, it’s no longer hypocrisy from the Washington regime – it’s deceit pure and simple just like Colin Powell and his lies about Saddam’s non-existent WMD.
Washington is not happy with the deal and it wants to rewrite it rather than revive the existing deal with the Washington regime having failed to honour its obligations under that deal.
lol lol
There is nothing to “Negotiate”.
When US returns to the conditions of the treaty, then Iran will too.
How difficult is that to understand?
Iran is who should be “skeptical “. Amerikkka lies through its teeth then accuses Iran of not “cooperating.”
This is, of course, a direct order from our boss Israhell. If there is a return to JCPOA, then the ZioMonsters would have no “legitimate” reason to continue assassinating Iranian scientists and bombing Iranian facilities.
My hope is that Iran forms a working alliance with China. Problem solved.
https://sputniknews.com/20211031/biden-us-will-retaliate-to-irans-hostile-actions-including-drone-attacks-1090372144.html
How long are the odds Russia and China would establish military bases in Iran in addition to supplying personnel for missile batteries?