{"id":94143,"date":"2021-04-07T06:31:51","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T11:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/?p=94143"},"modified":"2021-04-07T06:31:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T11:31:51","slug":"efforts-continue-to-get-us-back-to-iran-nuclear-negotiating-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/2021\/04\/07\/efforts-continue-to-get-us-back-to-iran-nuclear-negotiating-table\/","title":{"rendered":"Efforts continue to get US back to Iran nuclear negotiating table"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"t-content__chapo\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-94144 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Iran-Delegation-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Iran-Delegation-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Iran-Delegation-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Iran-Delegation.jpg 600w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Iran-Delegation-24x16.jpg 24w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Iran-Delegation-36x24.jpg 36w, https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Iran-Delegation-48x32.jpg 48w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>RFI \u2014 Efforts to bring the United States back into the 2015 deal on Iran&#8217;s nuclear programme stepped up a gear on Tuesday after Iran and the five world powers remaining in the accord started meetings in Vienna. The US is due to open indirect talks with Tehran.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Friday&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/eeas.europa.eu\/delegations\/vienna-international-organisations\/96151\/jcpoa-chairs-statement-following-meeting-joint-commission_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announcement<\/a>\u00a0that Washington and Tehran would begin indirect talks through intermediaries was one of the first signs of tangible progress in efforts to return both nations to the terms of the accord, which bound Iran to restrictions in return for relief from US and international sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>The EU took the lead in attempts to get the US back to the negotiating table, when a virtual meeting of the commission overseeing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/cmsdata\/122460\/full-text-of-the-iran-nuclear-deal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JCPoA<\/a>) was chaired by\u00a0the EU&#8217;s External Action Service deputy chief, Enrique Mora.<\/p>\n<div id=\"em-WBMZ28002-RFI-EN-20210406\" class=\"m-em-flash\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=madeyang&amp;dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfX0%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1377946983969734658&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rfi.fr%2Fen%2Finternational%2F20210406-efforts-continue-to-get-us-back-to-iran-nuclear-negotiating-table&amp;sessionId=30eeb76139507222a11c7c26311a0d8969d86d99&amp;siteScreenName=RFI_En&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=1ead0c7%3A1617660954974&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1377946983969734658\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The latest moves follow weeks of haggling between Iran and the US over conditions under which negotiations could begin again, with Tehran demanding that Washington abandons all sanctions first, and Washington saying it will not\u00a0budge until Tehran reverses steps it took after Donald Trump, the then president, walked away from the JCPoA in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>US State Department spokesperson, Jalina Porter, said in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/briefings\/department-press-briefing-april-2-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press briefing\u00a0<\/a>last week : &#8220;We\u2019re going to talk about nuclear steps that Iran would need to take in order to return to a compliance with the terms of the JCPoA.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And . . . sanction relief steps that the US would need to take in order to return to that compliance as well will be up for discussion.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8216;Terrible deal&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The JCPoA, signed on 14 July\u00a02015 between Iran and\u00a0the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (France, the UK, the US, China and Russia) plus Germany (the &#8220;P5+1&#8221;), was intended to curtail Iran&#8217;s nuclear programme in exchange for a gradual lifting of sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>Trump re-certified the deal three times\u00a0but consistently criticised the agreement as &#8220;terrible,&#8221; &#8220;laughable&#8221; and &#8220;horrible,&#8221; even though the then US Secretary of State\u00a0Rex Tillerson\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.armscontrol.org\/blog\/2017-09-21\/p51-iran-nuclear-deal-alert-september-2017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">still said<\/a>\u00a0in late 2017 that Iran was in technical compliance with the agreement.<\/p>\n<p>James Mattis, the defence secretary at the time,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-iran-nuclear-usa-idUSKCN1C821N\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">advised\u00a0<\/a>Trump to consider staying with\u00a0the JCPoA.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-em-image\">\n<figure class=\"m-figure m-figure--original\">\n<div class=\"m-figure__img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"m-figure__img\" src=\"https:\/\/s.rfi.fr\/media\/display\/bd4436b0-1b79-11ea-b803-005056a964fe\/9fadb76d5db4c9eeab39bbf9d4a4330ec75ac035.webp\" alt=\"Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in 2017 that &quot;Iran is in technical compliance with the agreement.&quot; But Tillerson was removed in March 2018, two months before Trump cancelled the JCPoA.\" data-image-dataset=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/s.rfi.fr\\\/media\\\/display\\\/bd4436b0-1b79-11ea-b803-005056a964fe\\\/&quot;,&quot;filename&quot;:&quot;9fadb76d5db4c9eeab39bbf9d4a4330ec75ac035.jpg&quot;,&quot;ratio&quot;:null,&quot;displayFormat&quot;:&quot;original&quot;}\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"m-figure__caption\"><span class=\"m-figure__caption__legend\">Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in 2017 that &#8220;Iran is in technical compliance with the agreement.&#8221; But Tillerson was removed in March 2018, two months before Trump cancelled the JCPoA.<\/span> <span class=\"m-figure__caption__credits\">AFP\/Archivos<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In\u00a0October 2017, possibly influenced by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/in-recording-netanyahu-boasts-israel-convinced-trump-to-quit-iran-nuclear-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">relentless lobbying<\/a>\u00a0of Iran&#8217;s arch-enemy Israel,\u00a0Trump stopped re-certifying the deal, and on\u00a08 May 2018, he\u00a0unilaterally\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov\/presidential-actions\/ceasing-u-s-participation-jcpoa-taking-additional-action-counter-irans-malign-influence-deny-iran-paths-nuclear-weapon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pulled the US out<\/a>\u00a0of the accord, swapping to what he called a &#8220;maximum-pressure&#8221; campaign of increased US sanctions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Putting pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since then, Iran has been steadily violating key elements of the deal, such as the amount and purity of enriched uranium Tehran can stockpile.<\/p>\n<p>Those violations have clearly been aimed at putting pressure on the other nations in the deal to do more to counter the crippling sanctions reimposed under Trump.<\/p>\n<p>China and Russia opposed Washington&#8217;s unilateral action from the outset, while the E3 (France, Germany and the UK) took some steps with the creation of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.diplomatie.gouv.fr\/en\/country-files\/iran\/news\/article\/joint-statement-on-the-creation-of-instex-the-special-purpose-vehicle-aimed-at\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instex<\/a>, a financial tool that allowed EU countries to trade with Iran while avoiding US sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>But Instex never really took off and Iran&#8217;s increasing reluctance to comply with the deal deepened dramatically after the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.mehrnews.com\/news\/166416\/Top-Iranian-scientist-Mohsen-Fakhrizadeh-assassinated\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">assassination<\/a>\u00a0by unknown assailants of Iran&#8217;s foremost nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Biden wants back<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden came into office saying that returning to the accord and getting Iran\u2019s nuclear programme back under international supervision were priorities.<\/p>\n<p>But Iran and the United States have disagreed over Tehran\u2019s demands that sanctions be lifted first.<\/p>\n<p>Iran&#8217;s Mehr News Agency\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.mehrnews.com\/news\/171759\/No-talks-between-Iran-US-to-take-place-in-Vienna-spox\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said that\u00a0<\/a>even though US and Iranian delegations will attend the gathering, there will be no direct meeting\u00a0between Tehran&#8217;s negotiators and those from Washington who are led by the administration&#8217;s special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley.<\/p>\n<div id=\"em-WBMZ28045-RFI-EN-20210406\" class=\"m-em-flash\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=madeyang&amp;dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfX0%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1377950244508475392&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rfi.fr%2Fen%2Finternational%2F20210406-efforts-continue-to-get-us-back-to-iran-nuclear-negotiating-table&amp;sessionId=30eeb76139507222a11c7c26311a0d8969d86d99&amp;siteScreenName=RFI_En&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=1ead0c7%3A1617660954974&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1377950244508475392\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Today we are witnessing a new chapter in the process of defeating coercion and reviving the JCPoA,&#8221; Iran&#8217;s government spokesperson Ali Rabiei was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Working groups<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As we predicted at the height of the Trump administration&#8217;s bullying and pressure, the United States eventually, frustrated by the wrong path, admit that maximum pressure has failed and that there is no choice but to revive the JCPoA and get all parties back to their commitments,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Rabiei&#8217;s US counterpart,\u00a0State Department spokesperson\u00a0Ned Price, said talks would be structured around working groups that the Europeans will form with the other parties to the accord.<\/p>\n<p>Price said: &#8220;The talks are a healthy step forward but we don\u2019t anticipate an early or immediate breakthrough as these discussions, which, we fully expect, will be difficult.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t anticipate at present that there will be direct talks with Iran,&#8221; he added. \u201cThough of course we remain open to them. And so we\u2019ll have to see how things go starting early this week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>EU sanctions on hold?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Reuters\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-iran-eu-sanctions-idUSKBN2BN2MK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>\u00a0on 31 March that the EU was\u00a0set to sanction eight Iranian leaders of the Basij militia\u00a0and the police and three state entities for human rights abuses connected to the crackdown against demonstrations in 2019 when hundreds of people were killed.<\/p>\n<p>If imposed, it will be the\u00a0first time since 2013 that Brussels has taken punitive steps against Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>Diplomats told Reuters that the EU will impose travel bans and asset freezes. The names of those sanctioned will be published this week.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Those responsible for serious rights violations must know there are consequences,&#8221; an EU diplomat said.<\/p>\n<p>However, Brussels did not confirm the information and it remains unclear if sanctions will be enforced in a week that is seen by many as offering a possible breakthrough on the Iranian nuclear issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RFI \u2014 Efforts to bring the United States back into the 2015 deal on Iran&#8217;s nuclear programme stepped up a gear on Tuesday after Iran and the five world powers remaining in the accord started meetings in Vienna. The US is due to open indirect talks with Tehran. Friday&#8217;s\u00a0announcement\u00a0that Washington and Tehran would begin indirect [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latests"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["fa","en"],"languages":{"fa":{"title":true,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94143"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94146,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94143\/revisions\/94146"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/PERSIAN-HERITAGE.COM\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}