Reliable Agreement at Vienna Talks Requires US Political Will – Iran’s Shamkhani

By Staff, Agencies

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said whether Tehran and the P4+1 group of countries can reach a reliable agreement over the 2015 deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], depends on the US's political determination.

“Vienna negotiations have reached a stage where the outcome can be declared certainly and without the need for guesswork,” Shamkhani wrote in a post published on his Twitter page on Monday.

“The US political decision either to satisfy or dismiss requirements for the conclusion of a reliable and durable agreement based on JCPOA agreed-upon principles can replace speculation,” Iran’s top security official added.

On Sunday, a source with knowledge of the ongoing talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna refuted rumors that the United States was expected to engage in direct talks with Iran through a session of the Joint Commission of the 2015 agreement.

Press TV reported the information after Western sources alleged that Vienna was to host the deal's Joint Commission, which features representatives from all the remaining members, on Monday. The diplomats further claimed that Washington would be part of the talks.

Meanwhile, Iran and the P4+1 group of countries have previously agreed that no session of the Joint Commission would be held, and negotiators would rather continue talks within the framework of bilateral and multilateral meetings.

The Islamic Republic has strictly refused to hold any direct or indirect talks with the United States, citing Washington's departure from the agreement that nullifies its membership of the deal.

Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally left the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted. He also placed additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign.

In May 2019, following a year of strategic patience, Iran decided to let go of some of the restrictions on its nuclear energy program, resorting to its legal rights under the JCPOA, which grants a party the right to suspend its contractual commitments in case of a non-performance by the other side.

The US administration under Joe Biden says it is willing to compensate for Trump’s mistake and rejoin the deal, but it has retained the sanctions as leverage.

Envoys from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries — Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany — have been holding negotiations in the Austrian capital for 10 months in a bid to resurrect the JCPOA.