Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs and International Affairs Kazem Ghalibabadi made the remarks to reporters on Tuesday morning.
“We have always been ready for this, and we believe that if the other side is also ready, then negotiations will take place and a conclusion will be reached,” he said.
According to Gharibabadi, if other countries have different policies and approaches, Iran will adjust its own approach according to the same policies.
“We believe there is an appropriate opportunity for dialogue and understanding,” he added, adding, “We believe that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and unilateral, and that illegal sanctions have not achieved its objectives. Everybody knows,” he added.
“The most rational thing to do is to start talks towards lifting sanctions, and that is the right path.”
“We have agreed to continue our discussions and the date and time will be determined through further discussions.”
The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and Germany. Former US President Donald Trump illegally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, but current US President Joe Biden has signaled he is open to reinstating it.
Russia, the UK, Germany, China, the US, and France have been in talks with Iran since April 2021 to revive the agreement.
JCPOA relief negotiations began in April 2021 in Vienna, the capital of Austria. The purpose was to assess the US’ seriousness about returning to the agreement and lifting anti-Iranian sanctions.
Negotiations have been stalled since August due to Washington’s stubborn stance that it would not lift all sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the former Trump administration. Iran insists that if a deal is reached, the other side must provide some guarantee that it will abide by it.
MP/6353624