Iran welcomes calls from the west to restart negotiations to revive the nuclear deal but wants to see actions from the US, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.
Over the weekend, President Biden met with the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany and released a joint statement that said President Biden is committed to returning the US to the JCPOA.
“We welcome President Biden’s clearly demonstrated commitment to return the US to full compliance with the JCPOA and to stay in full compliance, so long as Iran does the same,” the statement said.
A recent report from Responsible Statecraft revealed that Biden wouldn’t commit to staying in the JCPOA during his first term in the initial round of talks with Iran that lasted from April to June. The statement suggests Biden is willing to be more flexible on this condition, but Iran is still not convinced he is serious about reviving the JCPOA, and for good reason.
“The criterion for us is the action of the other party,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh. “Contrary to its stated position, the new US administration continues to pursue a policy of maximum pressure leading to the imposition of new sanctions or the re-imposition of previously lifted sanctions.”
Virtually all Trump-era sanctions are still in effect on Iran, and the Biden administration has even imposed more. On Friday, just days after Tehran said it was ready to return to JCPOA talks by the end of September, the US slapped more sanctions on Iran. Khatibzadeh said the fresh sanctions show Washington is “not trustworthy.”
Besides the new sanctions, the US has stepped up its rhetoric against Iran. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken would not rule out military action against Iran if the JCPOA isn’t restored, warning that “all options are on the table.”
There is Nothing to talk about…!
It takes arrogant blundering fools to make Iran look like the good guy in this.
Yet a different response might well have produced a more reasonable Iran too. It creates the problem, as well as making the problem look good in comparison.
Why can’t Iran buy medical isotopes? Why can’t it sell its uranium on the open world market? Such abuses invite over reaction in return, and then that makes the “problem” that self justifies warlike response.
This entire thing is blundering incompetence of the worst sort, that could well get far more people killed than it has killed already.