Vienna negotiations resumed, and Tehran awaits an American political decision

Khatibzadeh said in a press conference Monday: “The rest of the nuclear agreement discussions are important and pivotal issues that need political decisions.” He called on Washington in particular to “announce its decisions regarding lifting sanctions and the remaining issues”, considering that achieving this may lead to a “sustainable and reliable agreement” soon.

He added that the US administration is responsible for its country’s policies and bears the consequences of its renunciation of its commitments in the nuclear agreement and harming Iran, adding that “there is a great development in technical issues, but issues that require a political decision, such as canceling the embargo, unfortunately are still pending.”

And he added, “Iran will not abandon its principles and red lines to reach a nuclear agreement,” noting that Iran is seeking to conclude a credible and lasting agreement.

Khatibzadeh said that the United States should guarantee “Iran’s economic interests in any nuclear agreement that is reached,” and also ensure that it “will not ridicule the international system and its government will not use the internal mechanisms of the nuclear agreement against this agreement.”

He added that “the most important difference is the inconsistent speed of the other parties, especially the United States, in terms of putting forward initiatives” in the talks.

Khatibzadeh’s statements came with the return of senior negotiators from Iran and European countries to Vienna on Monday, after they had left for two days only, with the aim of holding consultations in their capitals. During this period, discussions at the expert level continued in Vienna.

Western countries stress the need to reach an understanding with Iran quickly, especially in light of the acceleration of Iran’s nuclear activities since it retreated from its commitments under the nuclear deal.

A week ago, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that there would be “a few weeks” left to save the nuclear agreement, stressing that his country was “ready to resort to other options” if the Vienna negotiations failed.

Commenting on Blinken, Khatibzadeh said at the time that Blinken “knows better than anyone that every country has its own plan B, and Iran’s plan B may not interest the United States.”

In this context, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that he visited Israel last month in order to coordinate efforts regarding the possibility of failure of diplomatic efforts in the Iranian nuclear file.

Sullivan reiterated in an interview with the US “CBS” network on Sunday that Washington is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, adding that diplomacy remains the best way to achieve this.

He continued, “We are working closely with our European allies and partners in this regard. The current situation is due to the previous administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, and we are paying the price for this disastrous mistake.”

Tehran stresses the priority of lifting the sanctions that Washington re-imposed on it after its withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, in addition to obtaining guarantees that the US withdrawal will not be repeated.

On the other hand, the United States and the European parties focus on the importance of Iran’s return to full respect for its commitments under the nuclear agreement, which it began to retract in 2019 in response to Washington’s withdrawal from it.