Iranian FM says agreement on Iran deal possible if US makes realistic decision

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says it is still possible for parties to the 2015 Iran deal to reach an agreement if the American side proves capable of making a realistic decision.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a Thursday address to the World Economic Forum in the Swiss city of Davos.

“Now, we have reached a point [during the negotiations in the Austrian capital city of Vienna] that if the American side makes a realistic decision, an agreement would be within reach,” Iran’s top diplomat said.

“Zionists tell many lies about Iran’s nuclear issue, but Americans exactly know what they must do if they want to return to the JCPOA,” Amir-Abdollahian said while referring to the deal under its official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“We have announced time and again that the atomic bomb has no place in our foreign policy doctrine and [religious] beliefs… The [International Atomic Energy] Agency has also announced many times that Iran does not seek a nuclear weapons,” Iran’s foreign minister said.

“Zionists do not want an agreement [to be reached] in the Vienna talks,” Amir-Abdollahian emphasized.

“US blacklisting of IRGC only a secondary issue, nation’s interests top priority”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian rejected reports that the main snag that has stalled the Vienna talks is the issue of US blacklisting of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

“There are more important issues involved here. When we talk about [Tehran’s] return to the JCPOA, it means the resumption of normal economic and trade activities of Iran within the context of international economy and global trade. This is important to us and we have informed the American side of this issue time and again… We say out loud that the main factor [that has stalled the negotiations] is that Iran and the people of Iran must avail themselves of full economic advantages of the JCPOA.”

“In fact, the IRGC being on the US blacklist of terrorist groups is a secondary issue that has been magnified by the pro-Israeli lobby and our main priority is the interests of the Iranian nation,” Iran’s foreign minister said.

Amir-Abdollahian noted, “We have a lot of information, which [shows that] Zionists are taking US foreign policy hostage.

“Be sure that Iran has numerous options on the table, but the most important issue is that factors related to [former US President Donald] Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ [policy against Iran] must be done away with,” Iran’s top diplomat added.

Several rounds of negotiations between Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA – Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia – have been held in the Austrian capital since April 2021 to bring Washington back into the deal. The American diplomats were not allowed to directly join the talks due to Washington’s unilateral withdrawal.

Talks have been on hold since March as Washington insists on its refusal to undo its past wrongs through measures such as removing the IRGC from its foreign terrorist organization list.

Iran maintains that IRGC’s designation in 2019 was part of the Trump administration’s so-called maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, and therefore, it has to be reversed unconditionally.

The Joe Biden administration disagrees, even though it has admitted on countless occasions that Trump’s maximum pressure policy has been a disastrous failure. It has retained the IRGC’s designation and the economic sanctions as leverage in the talks.

Earlier this month, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran and the P4+1 group of countries still have the opportunity to reach a “good and reliable” agreement on the JCPOA revival if the United States makes the necessary decision and honors its commitments.