Iran blames US 'indecision' for delaying nuclear deal return

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Friday put US’ hesitation as the main reason for stalling a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, emphasizing that its relations with neighboring countries will not be directed by Washington or the contexts of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Tehran’s favorable relations with its neighbors, including Russia, do not hide the fact that the “main hurdle” in reaching an agreement in regards to the JCPOA is the “indecision” of the US, Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry said in a tweet. 

Tehran and Washington have held talks for over a year aimed at reviving the nuclear deal which the US withdrew from in 2018, but the negotiations have yielded no results. Iran demands the removal of the US sanctions, including those on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the US has designated as a terrorist organization.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday said that Washington needs to abandon its greed and “violation of reality” if it seeks to reach an agreement on the nuclear deal, reported state media.  

Kanaani’s remarks come after US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Wednesday warned Iran against further cooperation with Russia, saying it was a “really, really bad idea,” without elaborating any further. 

Austin’s statement followed Iran, Russia, and Turkey’s tripartite summit in Tehran which was attended by the heads of all three states where economic ties between the countries were among the topics discussed.

Iran on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with a Russian energy giant, seeking to develop cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in the oil and gas field.