Iran blames obstruction of JCPOA talks on excessive demands by US, European parties

In an interview with Japan’s Kyodo news agency on Sunday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held the US, France, Britain and Germany responsible for the pause in the negotiations aimed at restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He further attributed the suspension of the talks to the aforesaid countries’ “interference” in Iran’s domestic issues such as last year’s foreign-backed riots.

Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the JCPOA with six world powers. However, Washington’s unilateral withdrawal in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Negotiations kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April 2021 to terminate the unilateral US sanctions and bring Washington back into full compliance with the deal.

The talks, however, stalled in August 2022 as Washington insisted on not terminating all the sanctions and failing to provide Iran with guarantees that it will not exit the agreement again.

Also in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian said the Japanese government has proposed an initiative to bring the JCPOA back to life, without elaborating on its details.

The top Iranian diplomat added that he had received the proposal during his visit to Tokyo last month.

Any initiative from Japan that aligns with "Iran's interests" would be viewed positively by Tehran, he said. "We support the constructive role of Japan in reviving the nuclear deal."

During the trip, Amir-Abdollahian met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who said Tokyo supports the JCPOA revival talks and is ready to help the sides in this regard.