“We call upon President Raisi to seize this opportunity and return to a good faith effort to conclude our negotiations as a matter of urgency,” read a joint statement from Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson, and Joe Biden following their meeting at the G20 summit in Rome. “That is the only sure way to avoid a dangerous escalation, which is not in any country’s interest.”
The heads of the four countries expressed hope in reaching a quick understanding on returning to full compliance and ensuring that “Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes.” But they pointed out that Iran’s decreasing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remains as an obstacle in front of a full return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal.
“These steps have only been made more alarming by Iran’s simultaneously decreased cooperation and transparency with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” read the statement. “We agreed that continued Iranian nuclear advances and obstacles to the IAEA’s work will jeopardize the possibility of a return to the JCPOA.”
The IAEA and the atomic energy agency of Iran (AEOI) have recently faced complications, as the IAEA has on several occasions claimed they have been denied access to the country’s Tessa Karaj Complex.
In September, both sides released a joint statement saying that Iran permits IAEA inspectors “to service the identified equipment and replace their storage media which will be kept under the joint IAEA and AEOI seals in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Later in the month, the IAEA said the UN’s atomic agency said that they were denied access to the complex, claiming it was contrary to the agreed terms. Iran responded that it was not part of its agreement with the United Nation’s atomic agency as it is under “security and judicial investigations”.
Under Trump’s administration, the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord and imposed a raft of sanctions in an effort to force Tehran to renegotiate a broader deal. The campaign failed as Iran expanded its nuclear program and is now enriching uranium at levels far beyond limits set in the accord.
Biden wants to return to the deal. But talks to bring the US back on board, lift sanctions, and get Iran back into full compliance with its nuclear commitments were suspended in June to allow for the transition of its new government. Tehran, under diplomatic pressure to resume talks, has indicated it will be ready to do so by the end of November.
The US has criticized Iran’s delays in agreeing to return to the talks in Vienna.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said this month that the “window is closing” on Iran’s pending decision to pick up talks.
“Every day that goes by is another day that Iran is in a position to advance its nuclear program in ways that are concerning,” he said. “We’re not putting a specific timeframe on it, but we are making the point that this is not a process that can go on indefinitely.”
The meeting between the head of the countries came a day after the US announced sanctions targeting Iran’s drone program, which it said has been used to attack American forces and partners in the Middle East, including Iraq.
Iran said that the measures, imposed days after Tehran’s chief nuclear negotiator indicated Iran was ready to resume stalled nuclear talks, show Washington was “not trustworthy.”
