Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced on Friday that the stalled talks regarding the Iranian nuclear agreement will resume "very soon," but he accused the United States of sending "contradictory messages" about reviving the agreement. The talks, facilitated by European nations, aim to bring the United States back to the 2015 deal from which former President Donald Trump withdrew and to push Iran to return to full compliance with the agreement.
Amir-Abdollahian stated to reporters in New York, "We are currently reviewing the files from the Vienna negotiations, and the negotiations between Iran and the 4+1 countries will resume very soon," referring to Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany. He added in a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, "We are witnessing a constructive type of negotiations that will lead to tangible and verifiable results in the foreign policy of the new Iranian government."
When asked what he meant exactly by saying that the talks would resume "very soon," a senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, replied that it "could mean within a few days or a few weeks." He explained, "As soon as we complete the review process, and without wasting any time, we will return to the negotiation table." In response to whether these negotiations would pick up where they left off in June due to the Iranian presidential elections, the official seemed evasive, noting that this would depend on discussions with the parties still signed onto the nuclear agreement.
Western representatives at the United Nations expressed frustration over the lack of progress. U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday, "Soon or very soon, we've heard this all week, but we haven't received any clear indication of what that means." However, European Foreign Minister Josepg Borrell, coordinator of the 2015 agreement, said he was "optimistic" in a statement he made to the media in New York, including AFP.
European countries are seeking to revive the agreement announced by Trump when the U.S. withdrew in 2018. Trump reinstated sanctions on Iran that the United States had lifted under the agreement, and Iran has since stepped back from many of its obligations under it. U.S. President Joe Biden has reiterated his desire to return to the agreement, but his administration has expressed impatience over the stagnation in talks. A senior American official explained this week that Washington is frustrated by the absence of any "positive signals" that Iran is ready to return to negotiations "to resolve the remaining issues."
But Amir-Abdollahian blamed Washington, saying, "We receive contradictory diplomatic messages from the White House." He added, "In recent months, we have not seen a positive step, not even a tiny bit, from the U.S. administration." Negotiations between Iran and the five countries aimed at reviving the agreement began in Vienna in April but were suspended in June with the election of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi as Iran's president.
However, hope for reviving the agreement returned earlier this month when Iran reached a new settlement with the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding monitoring its nuclear facilities. European governments indicated that they did not receive any concrete commitments from Amir-Abdollahian during the meetings held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week. Earlier on Friday, Amir-Abdollahian told the Iranian news agency IRNA that Tehran "is currently reviewing the nuclear agreement file and will return to the negotiation table at the earliest opportunity, provided that these negotiations are meaningful and fruitful."
