Brett McGurk, the top Middle East official on the National Security Council, said Thursday that the US and Iran are “in the ballpark of a possible deal” in Vienna, where the two countries have been engaged in indirect negotiations to revive the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.
McGurk didn’t elaborate further and also warned there’s a “very real” chance that the talks “collapse soon.” But his remarks still marked the most positive comments made by a Biden administration official since the negotiations resumed at the end of November.
Russia’s envoy in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, also had positive things to say about the negotiations in comments on Wednesday, predicting that a deal could be reached by the end of next month. “If the talks continue at the pace they’re currently going, in principle, it’s quite realistic to reach agreement by the end of February,” he said.
The major sticking point between the US and Iran in Vienna appears to be over guarantees that the US won’t leave the JCPOA again if it is revived. Because the agreement is not a treaty, future US administrations are not bound by it, and Iran fears the next US president could repeat what Trump did.
In earlier negotiations with the previous Iranian government, Tehran was willing to settle for a guarantee that President Biden would stay in the deal during his term in office, but Biden refused to make the promise.
Sigh… Everyone is so desperate to see the deal renewed. It’s embarrassing.
And what does that anyone older than five years old about Joe “I’m a Zionist” Biden’s actual intentions?
Surely the Iran demand for lifting of the cruel illegal Trump sanctions was the first step?
Iran, Russia, China and other independent countries will have to make agreements and ignore the USA.
They’re temporizing Iran until Ukraine is resolved, then they’ll reject it again.
McGurk didn’t elaborate further and also warned there’s a “very real” chance that the talks “collapse soon.”
This guy is like the fucking weatherman. And right just as often.
How can you enter into a deal when one of the parties (USA) can’t guarantee they will stay and abide by the deal? It’s like saying, I will sell you my house but I can’t guarantee that in 3 years I won’t come back and confiscate it. You either agree to agree or you don’t.
Iran would be better off without this type of deal.