Iran’s Reply to US Nuclear Deal Response Not Expected Before September 2

Iran is reviewing Washington’s response to the EU’s proposal to restore the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, and is not expected to reply until the end of the week, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

The US submitted its response last week, which came after Tehran gave its own reply to the EU proposal. Iran’s state-run Nour News said that Tehran is “seriously reviewing the US response at an expert level” and won’t reply until “at least” September 2.

Josep Borrel, the EU’s foreign policy chief, described both sides’ responses as “reasonable” and hopes the parties can reconvene in Vienna to sign an agreement. The EU push to revive the deal, which would lift some sanctions on Iran and get Iranian oil back on the global market, comes as Europe is facing soaring energy prices as a result of the Western sanctions campaign against Russia.

Qatar has also emerged as a broker between the US and Iran, having hosted JCPOA talks in June. A Qatari Foreign Ministry official met with Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani in Tehran on Saturday for talks on the JCPOA negotiations.

The details of the US response to the EU proposal aren’t clear. But according to Israeli officials, the US toughened its stance toward Iran and did not make any concessions.

The Biden administration has taken a hardline approach to negotiations with Tehran by refusing to lift all Trump-era sanctions. The two sides have had to negotiate which sanctions the US will lift to find an amount of sanctions relief that makes the deal worthwhile for Iran.