Iran FM to EU: Realistic Approach Needed to Achieve Deal on JCPOA Revival

Tuesday, 20 December 2022 7:01 PM

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (C-R) and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell (C-L) meet in Amman, Jordan, on December 20, 2022. (Photo by Iran's Foreign Ministry)

Iran's foreign minister has called on the other parties to the 2015 deal to adopt a “constructive and realistic” approach and take necessary political decisions to facilitate the finalization of long-stalled negotiations aimed at reviving the multilateral agreement.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the comments in a meeting on Tuesday with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on the sidelines of the Baghdad Conference ll held in the Jordanian capital of Amman, where the two discussed the latest status of talks on reviving the 2015 landmark agreement between Iran and the world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Expressing Iran’s readiness to conclude the Vienna talks based on a draft negotiation package resulting from months of hard and intensive negotiations, Amir-Abdollahian called on the other parties to “make the necessary political decisions to announce an agreement by avoiding politicization and adopting a constructive and realistic approach.”

Meanwhile, the top Iranian diplomat condemned Western support for the recent riots across the country by imposing illegal sanctions against Iran under the pretext of supporting human rights.

Describing human rights advocacy as one of the “basic principles” of the Islamic Republic, Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the West’s violations of the Iranian nation’s rights, including the illegal US sanctions against Iran.

Amir-Abdollahian also reiterated Iran’s principled stance in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the need for finding a peaceful settlement to the war in the country, noting that Tehran is ready to resolve any misunderstanding in direct interaction with the Ukrainian side.

Borrell, for his part, outlined the EU’s positions and approaches towards the Islamic Republic in recent months, and said the issue of JCPOA and relevant negotiations were apart from other issues on the agenda of both sides.

Borrell also emphasized the bloc’s resolve to advance the Vienna talks and bring them to a conclusion.

In a tweet after the meeting, the EU foreign policy chief said they “agreed we must keep communication open and restore JCPOA on basis of Vienna negotiations.”

The talks to salvage the JCPOA kicked off in the Austrian capital of Vienna in April last year, with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

The talks have remained stalled since August, as Washington continues to insist on its hard-nosed position of not removing all sanctions that were slapped on the Islamic Republic by the previous US administration. Iran maintains that it is necessary for the other side to offer some guarantees that it will remain committed to any agreement that is reached.