TEHRAN -- Iran said Monday the 2015 nuclear deal is alive but lingering in the “emergency room,” with its fate resting on a decision by the U.S. to remove sanctions on Tehran’s economy and oil exports.
Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters the Islamic Republic has finalized all the details needed to revive the landmark accord with other countries involved in stalled negotiations in Vienna.
But he said the U.S. has yet to take a decision on the latest Iranian proposal for how to resolve the standoff over remaining issues between the two countries, which include a Trump-era terrorism designation for Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
“We haven’t reached the point yet where the U.S. side has shown the will to return to its own obligations under the nuclear deal and the related United Nations resolution,” Khatibzadeh said. Washington must reverse all of the Trump administration’s measures against Iran, imposed as part of its “maximum pressure” strategy, he said.
Reviving the 2015 deal would ease sanctions on Iran and trigger the return of its crude oil to markets at a time of unprecedented volatility in fuel markets because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on supply and demand.
The nuclear accord unraveled after Trump renounced it and reimposed sanctions almost four years ago. Iran responded by escalating its uranium enrichment well beyond limits set by the accord.
Khatibzadeh said none of Tehran’s red lines have been abandoned in Vienna, stressing that a weak agreement could have been made a few months ago if the Iranian negotiators had compromised on its demands.
“The red lines have continued to be observed until today. If we were to cross the red lines, we would have reached an agreement several months ago,” he said.
What matters to Tehran is that the Iranian nation must enjoy the economic benefits of the removal of sanctions, he added.
Khatibzadeh said, “We really do not know whether we would reach a deal or not, because the United States has not yet exhibited the necessary determination to reach an agreement.”
The spokesman warned that the window for diplomacy in order to settle the standoff “will not remain open forever”.
Asked if the Quds Force will remain on the list of U.S. sanctions at the conclusion of the talks, he said, “The maximum pressures must be wholly lifted. What still lingers is more than one issue.”
“All components of the maximum pressure must be removed. Until that day, we will wait for Washington’s decision and move forward within the framework of the Iranian nation’s definite interests,” Khatibzadeh stressed.
Negotiations have been held in the Austrian capital since April last year to restore the 2015 Iran deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was ditched by former U.S. President Donald Trump in May 2018.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian said Washington is “imposing new conditions” for removing its sanctions, stressing that Tehran will never compromise on its red lines and will seek a “strong” and “durable” agreement.
“On the issue of lifting sanctions, they (the Americans) are interested in proposing and imposing new conditions outside the negotiations,” he said.