Iran Says Western Powers Have New ‘Realism’ at Nuclear Deal Talks

Talks resumed Monday after a brief New Year's pause

Iran said Monday that it senses Western powers are approaching the nuclear deal talks in Vienna with a new “realism.”

“We sense a retreat, or rather realism from the Western parties in the Vienna negotiations, that there can be no demands beyond the nuclear accord,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

The negotiations in Vienna resumed on Monday after a brief New Year’s pause. Throughout December, the US and its European allies involved in the talks had been criticizing Iran for seeking more sanctions relief than Washington wants to give.

Khatibzadeh said it’s still too early “to judge if the United States and the three European countries have drawn up a real agenda to commit to lifting sanctions.”

When the JCPOA talks first resumed at the end of November, the US demanded that Iran accept a draft agreement negotiated with the previous Iranian government. But Tehran submitted new draft proposals on sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear obligations, which the current negotiations are being built on.

Iran is also seeking guarantees that the US won’t withdraw from the JCPOA again. In previous negotiations that lasted from April until June, President Biden rejected a way forward by refusing to promise that he would stay in the deal during his first term in office.

Despite Biden’s hardline stance, the US has been blaming Iran for the fact that a deal hasn’t been reached. US officials are also coordinating closely with Israel on the Iran talks as Israeli officials are constantly threatening to attack the Islamic Republic.

Author: Dave DeCamp

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