Iran Says It Responded to EU Proposal Aimed at Reviving Nuclear Deal

The US is reportedly preparing more Iran sanctions, signaling it's not ready to return to the JCPOA

Iran’s leading nuclear negotiator said Sunday that Tehran has responded to a proposal from the EU aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.

“We shared our proposed ideas, both on substance & form, to pave the way for a swift conclusion of Vienna negotiations,” Ali Bagheri Kani wrote on Twitter. He added that Iran is “ready to conclude the negotiations in a short order, should the other side be ready to do the same.”

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, proposed a new draft text of the JCPOA last week, the details of which are not clear. Borrell said that he put forward the new text because he believes “space for additional significant compromises has been exhausted.”

“I have now put on the table a text that addresses, in precise detail, the sanctions lifting as well as the nuclear steps needed to restore the JCPOA,” Borrell said.

The State Department has said that the US is reviewing Borrell’s proposal and has yet to respond. In a sign that the US isn’t willing to revive the deal, the Biden administration is reportedly considering new sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration is considering sanctioning a UAE-based businessman and network of companies suspected of helping export Iranian oil.

The Biden administration has maintained a hardline position on Iran, refusing to lift the sanctions Tehran requested to restore the JCPOA. Brett McGurk, President Biden’s top Middle East official on the National Security Council, said last week that it’s “highly unlikely” the JCPOA will be revived.

Author: Dave DeCamp

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