Iran says taking steps with 'tangible' conditions should be purpose of nuclear talks

Taking “practical” steps with “tangible” conditions should be the purpose of the upcoming talks between Tehran and other involved parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said on Thursday. While negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) pact have largely been frozen since June, things have heated up in recent times with the west mulling an alternate approach to curb Iran’s nuclear programmes. More recently, Tehran’s newly appointed administration touted the second week of November as a tentative date to resume the drought talks.

Speaking at a meeting with Enrique Mora, the head of the European External Action Service, Bagheri pinned the blame for stalled talks on the US and said that Iran has always been a “responsible player” in the international field. Both Tehran and Washington have called on each other to return to full compliance with the deal before they could join. On Thursday, the Iranian leader “cast serious doubts” on the Biden administration to fulfil its obligations and also "criticised the inaction of the European parties in fulfilling their obligations." 

"Achieving tangible results is important for Iran, as Tehran is always ready for serious negotiations that result in a practical agreement and not merely a paper agreement," Bagheri was quoted as saying by the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.

Alternate Option 

Just a day ago, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid touted the need for an alternative to the JCPOA deal. Speaking during a meeting with US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan,  Lapid  said that Iran was increasingly becoming a “nuclear threshold state”. Earlier in the day, Lapid had addressed a press conference along with US State Secretary Antony Blinken wherein he had warned of alternate plans to the nuclear deal if diplomatic pathways fail. 

Meanwhile, Blinken stressed that all parties involved in the deal have agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear arsenal. Asserting that time was “running short”, he added that they were “getting closer to a point at which returning to compliance with the JCPOA will not in and of itself recapture the benefits of the JCPOA".

(Image: Iran Foreign Ministry Twitter)