UN chief holds phone talks with Iranian FM over JCPOA

“The Secretary-General spoke today with H.E. Mr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister exchanged views on several issues, including Yemen, Afghanistan, developments in the Gulf region and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” Dujarric said in a statement on Wednesday.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani has recently stated that the United States dealt a devastating blow to the international rule of law by withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, adding that the opportunity to revive the landmark agreement will not last forever.

Bagheri Kani made the remarks in tweets last Tuesday, marking the fifth anniversary of the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in defiance of international criticisms.

“A critical reminder: 5 years ago, the US rendered a fatal blow to ‘rule of law at the international level’ by unlawfully withdrawing from JCPOA. Ever since, the US has failed to reverse its wrongful act. Iran’s legitimate remedial measures will continue,” he wrote.

“The full implementation of JCPOA (with effective sanctions lifting at its core) could be resumed, should the reneging party (and EU/E3) demonstrate credible political will to that effect. No opportunity is forever!”

Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the JCPOA with six world powers. However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Negotiations kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of removing anti-Iran sanctions and examining the United States’ seriousness in rejoining the accord.

The talks, however, have been at a standstill since August 2022 due to Washington’s insistence on not removing all the sanctions and its failure to offer necessary guarantees that it will not abandon the deal again.