The US must “accept reality” and agree to lift sanctions on Iran when negotiations to revive the nuclear deal resume in Vienna next week, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, told Al Jazeera.
Going into the negotiations that will resume on November 29th, Iran is asking the US to accept responsibility for scrapping the deal, lift all sanctions imposed since the Trump administration withdrew in 2018, and make a guarantee that the US wouldn’t exit the agreement again.
But the Biden administration’s stance is that it won’t lift all sanctions imposed since 2018, only those it considers “inconsistent” with the nuclear deal. During the initial rounds of talks that were from April to June, Biden refused to lift all Trump-era sanctions, forcing Iran to negotiate limited sanctions relief.
When asked about the difference in stance between the US and Iran, Bagheri, who will lead the upcoming talks for the Iranian side, explained that Iran is in a better position to dictate terms since the US violated the JCPOA in the first place.
“Iran, having overcome the so-called maximum pressure campaign, is sitting at the negotiating table with full preparedness, capacity and total commitment to the 2015 deal,” Bagheri said. “That’s why the Americans, while resorting to deception, try to exploit the political and media environment in their own favor. But it is not to their advantage. They should accept reality and abide by all their commitments.”
Leading up to the talks, the US has imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, a sign that the Biden administration is not serious about reviving the deal. The US has also been coordinating closely with Iran’s rivals ahead of the negotiations.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is visiting Iran this week. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Monday that Tehran hopes the meetings with Grossi will be “constructive.”
If Iran is sitting at the table waiting for US politicians to accept reality and start honoring binding agreements, then they will be waiting centuries.
Being honest and honorable has never been the American way.
Just ask the Africans and Native Americans.
I must admit, I admire your forthrightness.
Well said MW.
best-mg
Never ending mischarterizations & lies seem 2B the path the Biden crew have chosen. And no wonder with Blinken, Nuland & Knod. And all in service of a rogue nuclear non IAEA signatory state. It will be telling what is precipitated by the aforementioned meeting with Grossi in Iran. Tehran hopes the meetings with Grossi will be “constructive.” We will see. I am not hopeful due in large part to the skethy macinations that ushered Grossi into his position as IAEA top person. I don’t think it will take very long before we will be able to discern a picture of what is occurring there.
There is nothing to talk about…!
All sanctions are inconsistent with the Deal. That is why they were done by people opposed to the Deal, to prevent it ever coming back.
All of these sanctions, like those the USA imposes on so many countries, are ILLEGAL under international law. The USA’s version “rules-based international order” just means we order, you obey.