Iran Rejects Re-Talks Of 2015 Nuclear Deal With The US And EU

Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility. (Tasnim News Agency/Hossein Heidarpour via Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Iran has rejected informal meetings with the United States (US) and the European Union regarding the 2015 nuclear deal re-talks before all unilateral sanctions against the country are lifted.

"Taking into account the recent actions and statements by the United States and the three European powers, Iran does not consider this to be the time to have an informal meeting with these countries, which was proposed by the head of foreign policy of the European Union," said the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, according to Iranian media as reported by Reuters.

The United States has said it is disappointing but remains ready to "engage in meaningful diplomacy again" and will consult other major powers to find a way forward.

Iranian officials say Tehran is studying a proposal by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to hold informal meetings with other parties to the nuclear pact and the United States, which reimposed sanctions on Iran after President Donald Trump quit the deal in 2018.

President Joe Biden's new administration has said it is ready to talk with Iran about the two countries continuing compliance with the agreement, which cancels broad economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions intended to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, something Iran denies.

But the parties cannot agree on who should take the first steps. Iran says the United States should lift sanctions, while Washington says Tehran must return to complying with the deal, which it has progressively violated since 2019.

A White House spokesman said Washington still wanted to achieve a "mutual return to compliance" with the deal.

He said he would consult the major powers that are also parties to the deal, Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia.

A senior US source said Iran's rejection was only part of the diplomatic process. Separately, a senior US official said that the United States is not bound by any particular format of talks.

"We don't think that this is the end of the road. It is a pity that Iran said. But we will be open to other ideas, "said the senior US official.

"If they want us to consider some other format, we will not be rigid for the format," he added.

Earlier, Iran's nuclear chief urged the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 35-nation Board of Governors not to support a US-led push to criticize Tehran's decision to reduce its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

"If the IAEA Board of Governors adopts a resolution against Iran, we will show an appropriate reaction," Ali Akbar Salehi said, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

Last Tuesday, Tehran stopped implementing the so-called Additional Protocol, which allows the IAEA to carry out rapid inspections of undisclosed locations.

But under the February 21 agreement, Tehran agreed to keep additional data records as specified by the 2015 deal for up to three months and let the IAEA access them at the end if sanctions were lifted.

Khatibzadeh said there was no need for negotiations or a resolution by the IAEA board of governors for the United States to end illegal and unilateral sanctions and return to its commitments,".