The US says it is ready to talk to Iran about the two countries returning to a 2015 accord that aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the Biden administration was seeking to revive the so-called Iran nuclear deal, which former President Donald Trump abandoned nearly three years ago.
The move reflects the recent change of guard in Washington, with Mr. Blinken stressing President Joe Biden’s position that his administration would return to the accord formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if Iran came into full compliance with the deal.
Tehran reacted coolly to the idea, put forward by Mr. Blinken during a video meeting with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany – a group known as the E3 – gathered in Paris.
“If Iran comes back into strict compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, the United States will do the same and is prepared to engage in discussions with Iran toward that end,” a joint statement from the four nations said.
Iran began breaching the agreement in 2019, about a year after ex-President Trump withdrew and reimposed US economic sanctions, and has accelerated its breaches in recent months.
Reuters reported an unnamed US official as saying that Washington would respond positively to any European Union invitation to talks between Iran and the six major powers who negotiated the original deal: Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US.
“We are ready to show up if such a meeting were to take place,” the official said, after a senior EU official floated the idea of convening such talks.
Responding to the four nations’ statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet that Washington should make the first move.
“Our remedial measures are a response to US/E3 violations. Remove the cause if you fear the effect. … We’ll follow ACTION w/ (with) action,” Mr. Zarif wrote.
Mr. Zarif has in the past signaled an openness to talks with Washington and the other parties over reviving the 2015 accord.
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