JCPOA revival subject to Iran’s red lines: FM

Negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear accord appear near a climax in the Austrian capital Vienna, amid talk of an imminent ministerial meeting. Such a meeting, said Amir-Abdollahian, “requires full compliance with the red lines.”

"I am ready to go to Vienna when the Western sides accept our remaining red lines," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a phone call with the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

"The presence of foreign ministers in Vienna and the announcement of a final deal depend on full compliance with the red lines set out by Iran, including effective economic guarantees," the statement read.

The 2015 deal began unravelling when former US president Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to start disregarding the limits on its nuclear activity laid down in the agreement a year later in retaliation for the unilateral pullout.

Talks to restore the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), underway in Vienna, involve Iran as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly.

Amir-Abdollahian did not define the "red lines" but during the negotiations in Vienna, Iran has repeatedly demanded the right to verify the removal of sanctions and guarantees the US will not repeat its withdrawal from the agreement.

“Our delegation will continue to work hard to reach a final and good agreement,” Iran’s top diplomat pointed out.

“We are ready to finalize a good and immediate agreement,” he said, adding: “Most of Iran's requests have been considered in the upcoming agreement.”

Borrell said Iran’s major demands have been addressed in the possible final agreement.

He said progress has been made during the talks, adding that the negotiations are on the right path toward reaching a final result.

On Thursday, US State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter said negotiators were "close to a possible deal".

"But a number of difficult issues still remain unresolved," Porter said, according to AFP.

“We can and should reach an understanding of mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA within days", she added.

Iran’s top security official warned that if the Vienna talks fail to produce a “good deal”, the US will suffer yet another defeat.

“If the Vienna Talks do not lead to a good deal, the current US administration will feel defeated in near future due to a lack of timely use of diplomatic opportunities,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted on Thursday.

Enrique Mora, the EU’s coordinator for the talks, also said they were in the "final stages".

"Some relevant issues are still open and success is never guaranteed," he tweeted, adding "we are definitely not there yet."

Among remaining issues is Iran’s demand for the closure of an investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into the alleged presence of nuclear material at certain sites.

The IAEA claims it found particles of processed uranium at three old sites.

Iran has said the closure of the probe is necessary in order to clinch a deal to revive the JCPOA.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi is to travel to Tehran within hours "for meetings with senior Iranian officials" in an effort to agree on a process that would lead to the end of the investigation, potentially clearing a way for the wider agreement.

Director General Rafael Grossi will then hold a press conference upon his return to Vienna, an agency spokesman said.

Source: Iran Daily