Iran FM Amir-Abdollahian claims 'ball in US court' after Vienna talks on 2015 nuclear deal

On Sunday, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated that the discussions in Vienna on the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal are nearing an agreement and that Tehran has presented its suggestions and now the ball is in the hands of the United States. Iranian Foreign Ministry website suggests that while having a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Abdollahian said that Iran has submitted proposals to the United States regarding the remaining unresolved issues through Enrique Mora, the European Union (EU) coordinator for the Iran nuclear talks.

Guterres praised the progress made so far in the nuclear discussions in Vienna and expressed optimism that the parties will reach an agreement as soon as possible. In July 2015, Iran and international powers signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) but former President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, causing the Islamic Republic to back out of several of the agreement's nuclear commitments.

Eight rounds of discussions between Iran and the remaining JCPOA countries

Since then, eight rounds of discussions between Iran and the remaining JCPOA countries, namely China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, have been held in Vienna since April 2021 in order to resurrect the agreement. In recent weeks, the negotiators were near to reaching an agreement, with only a few crucial problems requiring political decisions on the part of the parties. Last month, the discussions were suspended when Russia wanted assurances that Western sanctions imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine would not harm its commerce with Iran. Later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Washington has provided Moscow with the necessary assurances on trade with Iran.

JCPOA relieved Iran of sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme

JCPOA relieved Iran of sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme, ensuring that Tehran would not be able to acquire nuclear weapons, which it has long denied, according to Al Arabiya. The Vienna discussions intend to get the United States back into the nuclear deal, by ensuring that Tehran fulfils its obligations fully. Tehran has demanded the removal of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's military's ideological branch from the US terror list.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP/ @Amirabdolahian/Twitter