State Department spokesperson Ned Price announced in a statement the US believes it is still possible to “quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to mutual full compliance” with the JCPOA as only a small number of outstanding issues remain to be settled from the last round of talks in June.
“We are prepared to return to Vienna, and we believe that it remains possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to mutual full compliance,” he continued.
“As we have also been clear, this window will not remain open forever as Iran continues to take provocative nuclear steps, so we hope that they come to Vienna to negotiate quickly and in good faith,” the spokesperson added.
Price has noted the US would discuss Iran with its European allies on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rome this weekend.
White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki has also reiterated that the US is committed to a “diplomatic path forward.”
“Our framing continues to be compliance for compliance,” Psaki said, adding, “And we’ll leave it up to the Europeans and our negotiators to determine what the next step would be.”
ON Wednesday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said he and coordinator of the nuclear deal’s joint commission Enrique Mora have agreed to the resumption of the Vienna talks before the end of November.
Bagheir made the announcement in a tweet following his talks with Mora in Brussels.
He stated he held serious and constructive negotiations with Mora over the vital components of the nuclear talks.
Bagheri added that the two sides agreed to resume negotiations before the end of November, noting the exact date of the talks will be announced next week.
The Vienna talks stalled before a new administration took office in Iran several months ago. The current Iranian government has repeatedly stressed it’s ready for talks but insists any dialogue must bear tangible results that would serve the interests of the Iranian people.
The Iran nuclear deal plunged into disarray after former US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in 2018.
Following his withdrawal, Trump reinstated harsh sanctions on Iran. In response, the Islamic Republic rolled back its obligations under the deal.
The US under President Joe Biden has announced multiple times it intends to return to the JCPOA.
It has called on Iran to return to full compliance with the deal. But Iran says the US must first show good-will by removing the anti-Tehran sanctions. Iran has also criticized the European troika for their inaction to resist the US’s unilateral sanctions on Iran.
