Iran FM says some of country's demands on removal of sanctions not addressed in Vienna talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says despite the advances made in the ongoing negotiations in the Austrian capital on the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran, part of the Islamic Republic’s demands have not been taken into account yet.

Iran’s top diplomat made the remarks in a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto, in Tehran on Monday, after the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral ties as well as major issues of mutual interest in a meeting earlier the same day.

Asked about the latest developments regarding the negotiations in Vienna, Amir-Abdollahian said, “According to the latest texts of the Vienna talks, parts of our demands with regard to the removal of sanctions have not been addressed yet.”

In the next few days, he added, Iran's chief negotiator to the Vienna talks, Ali Bagheri Kani, and senior experts of the negotiating team would focus on the document that is to be agreed upon and various parties would demonstrate their commitment to the landmark 2015 deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The top Iranian diplomat expressed hope that the negotiating sides would get closer to a final agreement at this stage, emphasizing, "Whether we can get the negotiations to [reach] a good agreement in the coming days depends on the initiative and behavior of the three European countries (Britain, France and Germany) and the United States."  

“Whether the US and the three European members of the JCPOA are really trying to clinch a deal with goodwill and seriousness is a question whose answer must be sought from the other side. We will continue our efforts with optimism, goodwill and seriousness to achieve a good and even immediate agreement,” Amir-Abdollahian pointed out.

He noted that the current Iranian administration focuses on a "balanced policy" and the country's new approach is based on promotion of ties with countries from all parts of the world, including Europe.

In Iran's view, Europe enjoys very important potential for promotion of ties, Amir-Abdollahian said, adding, "To us, Europe is not just Britain, France and Germany. While we welcome the expansion of relations with these three countries, we also pay attention to [expansion of ties with] other European states as well."

For his part and when asked about European countries' inaction on the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, the Finnish foreign minister expressed disappointment at the developments surrounding the international accord.

Haavisto added that European states have always supported the JCPOA and in doing this, they had pinned their hope on the initiative known as the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX).

He said European countries are aware of Iran's good cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and would increase cooperation with Tehran after a final agreement is reached in Vienna.

Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally left the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted. He also placed additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign.

In May 2019, following a year of strategic patience, Iran decided to let go of some of the restrictions on its nuclear energy program, resorting to its legal rights under the JCPOA, which grants a party the right to suspend its contractual commitments in case of a non-performance by the other side.

The US administration of President Joe Biden says it is willing to compensate for Trump’s mistake and rejoin the deal, but it has retained the sanctions as leverage.

Iran to US: 'Show' of lifting sanctions ‘not constructive’; real economic benefit necessary condition for deal

Iran’s top security official says show of lifting sanctions is not constructive, in the midst of negotiations in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Envoys from Iran and the P4+1 group of countries — Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany — have been holding negotiations in the Austrian capital for 10 months in a bid to resurrect the JCPOA.

The eighth round of the talks has been put on pause as diplomats returned to their capitals for consultations. The talks will resume on Tuesday.

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