BERLIN (Dispatches) --
Germany called on Iran to resume nuclear talks “as soon as possible” to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, the foreign ministry said, after a break in discussions following the election of a new president in June.
“We vehemently ask Iran to return to the negotiating table constructively and as soon as possible,” a ministry spokesperson told a briefing. “We are ready to do so, but the time window won’t be open indefinitely.”
A sixth round of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington was adjourned two days after Ebrahim Raisi was elected Iran’s president. Raisi took office on August 5.
Since April, Iran and the remaining signatories have tried to work out how Washington can return to compliance with the nuclear pact, which former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Tehran.
The next round of talks has yet to be scheduled.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian has said the talks might resume in “two to three months”.
On Tuesday, he made it clear that any negotiation for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal must fulfill the interests of the Iranian nation, reminding the U.S. that it can deal with the people of Iran only with the language of respect.
In a telephone conversation with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlic Radman, Amir-Abdollahian expounded on Iran’s views about the Vienna talks on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Negotiations for the sake of negotiations is not Iran’s policy, as the talks must be focused on the fulfillment of the interests of the Iranian people,” he underlined.
Amir-Abdollahian also made it clear that the U.S. can talk to the Iranian nation with the language of respect alone.
The two diplomats also discussed Iran-Croatia ties and the Islamic Republic’s relations with the European Union, stressing the need to expand ties between Tehran and Zagreb in all areas.
Amir-Abdollahian and Radman further agreed that the deals signed by the two sides regarding investment, customs cooperation and also cultural cooperation must be put into practice.
In a separate telephone conversation with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Amir-Abdollahian expressed Tehran’s readiness to expand ties with Baku in all areas including assistance with reconstruction efforts in the liberated areas of the Karabakh region.