Iran FM: We will never give in to US’ excessive demands in JCPOA revival talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the current stalemate in the negotiations held to revive the 2015 deal is due to excessive demands put forth by the United States, saying Tehran will never give in to such demands.

“If there is a pause in the course of the Vienna talks, it’s due to the American side’s excessive demands,” Iran’s foreign minister said in a post on his Twitter account on Monday.

He emphasized that Iran’s Foreign Ministry acts “with power and logic” in order to secure the highest interests of the Iranian nation while observing the country’s red lines.

The top Iranian diplomat said Iran and the P4+1 group of countries can reach a final agreement in Vienna “if the White House behaves realistically.”

Negotiations have been held in the Austrian capital since last April to restore the accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was ditched by former US President Donald Trump in May 2018.

In quitting the agreement, Trump introduced what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign to bring Iran to its knees. Tehran maintains that the policy has failed dismally. The Joe Biden administration agrees, yet it has not taken any tangible steps to deliver on its promise of repealing the policy.

In recent months, Iran has cited Washington’s indecisiveness as the reason behind the protraction of the talks, as a number of key issues remain unresolved, ranging from the removal of all post-JCPOA sanctions to the provision of guarantees by the American side that it will not leave the deal again.

The other parties to the talks – Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany – have also noted that the negotiators are close to finalizing an agreement.

In a phone conversation with Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi on Sunday, Amir-Abdollahian blamed the United States for the protraction of the Vienna talks, saying Tehran is ready for a good and sustainable agreement in the Austrian capital.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for a good and sustainable agreement, but so far the American side, by some of its excessive demands, has been directly responsible for the protraction of the talks,” he added.