TEHRAN -- Iran hit out at the United States on Monday for procrastinating in indirect talks to bring Washington back to compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord, and said a prisoner swap with Washington was not linked to the negotiations.
After 16 months of fitful, indirect U.S.-Iranian talks, with European Union officials shuttling between the sides, a senior EU official said on Aug. 8 it had laid down a final offer and expected a response within a “very, very few weeks.”
Iran last week responded to the EU’s text with “additional views and considerations”, while calling on Washington to show flexibility to resolve three remaining issues.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said on Monday he hoped the United States would respond positively as early as this week to the bloc’s proposal.
“There was a proposal from me as coordinator of the negotiations... and a response from Iran that I considered reasonable. It was transmitted to the United States which has not yet responded formally,” he told a university event in the northern Spanish city of Santander.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, said Tehran wanted a sustainable deal that would preserve Tehran’s legitimate rights.
“The Americans are procrastinating and there is inaction from the European sides in addition to the internal issues of the U.S. administration, and pressure from extremists and Zionist lobby groups inside the United States,” Kanaani told a news conference.
“Iran has participated seriously, constructively and responsibly in the negotiations, responded to the proposals of the European side in a timely manner, acted innovatively and showed the necessary flexibility for the conclusion of an agreement,” he said.
The spokesman said America and Europe need an agreement more than Iran.
“The negotiations are comprehensive, and agreement must be
reached on all relevant issues. Until we agree on all issues, we cannot say that we have reached a complete agreement,” he said.
The United States has repeatedly called on Tehran to release several people held in Iran on security charges. Iran has demanded several Iranians detained on charges linked to U.S. sanctions to be freed.
“We emphasize that the exchange of prisoners with Washington is a separate issue and it has nothing to do with the process of negotiations to revive the 2015 pact,” Kanaani said, adding that Tehran was ready to swap prisoners.
In 2018, then-President Donald Trump reneged on the deal reached before he took office, calling it too soft on Iran, and reimposed harsh U.S. sanctions, prompting Tehran to scale down compliance with the agreement.
“We seek a good agreement which would guarantee Iran’s national interests and would be long-lasting...We won’t be bitten twice,” Kanaani said.