Iran
An Iranian flag at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant on November 10, 2019. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran said Monday that the United States must take a logical approach to the nuclear deal revival talks and blamed Washington for presenting unjust initiatives as a precondition for the accord's revival.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian blamed President Joe Biden for imposing "US' one-sided views through accusation and sanction," and added that "diplomacy is not a one-way street."
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Biden said that Iran will remain "isolated" until it returns to the nuclear accord.
"My administration will continue to increase diplomatic and economic pressure until Iran is ready to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal," he wrote.
Iran seeks a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under the conditions that it will enjoy full economic benefits in a sustainable deal, according to Abdollahian. However, the minister stressed that the US must maintain a realistic approach to the negotiations and accept Tehran's "realities, flexibility, and initiatives."
The Biden administration has sought a return to the landmark accord and has been in talks since April 2021 after predecessor Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed biting sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to step away from many of the nuclear commitments it made under the accord.
The Islamic republic has demanded that the US must lift its crippling sanctions to revive the JCPOA, including those on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington has placed on a terror blacklist.
In late June, Qatar hosted indirect talks between the US and Iran mediated by the EU in an effort to get the nuclear talks back on track, but the talks made "no progress" according to the US, who further blamed Iran for failing to respond positively to the EU's initiative.
However, Abdollahian struck back on Washington's claims, accusing the American delegation of attending the meetings "without an approach based on initiative and progress."
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said earlier in July that the time and venue for the next phase of negotiations between Tehran and Washington were among the main topics discussed in Doha and are being finalized.
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