Iran open to talks on implementing existing nuclear deal, not a new one: Zarif

Iran's foreign minister says the country will not renegotiate its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, but is open to talks on finding ways to implement the existing accord.

"We are ready to talk and consult with others on how to best implement this deal. We are talking about Europe coming to comply with its own obligations under the deal," Mohammad Javad Zarif told Malaysia's official news agency Bernama.

Zarif said the country is prepared to hold talks with all parties concerned to find ways forward in fulfilling the JCPOA obligations, but will not renegotiate the 2015 deal as it had been carefully negotiated.

"We (have) already talked to the US extensively for over two years and we've reached a conclusion ... that was 159-page long... it is a serious agreement, (including) almost all aspects of the nuclear issues as well as the aspect of the US sanctions against Iran,” he said.

Back on Thursday, Zarif told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that the US must return to the nuclear agreement and end its economic terrorism against the Islamic Republic as a prerequisite for negotiations.

“The United States is engaged in an economic war against the Iranian people and it won’t be possible for us to engage with the United States unless they stop imposing a war and engaging in economic terrorism against the Iranian people,” Zarif said.

“So if they want to come back into the room there is a ticket that they need to purchase and that ticket is to observe the agreement,” he added.

PressTV-Zarif: US return to JCPOA ‘ticket’ for talks with Iran

Foreign Minister Zarif says the US must first return to the 2015 nuclear deal and stop economic terrorism against Iran if it seeks talks with the Islamic Republic.

In his interview with Bernama, Zarif called on other European parties to the deal to fully commit to the JCPOA, adding that Iran “will remain faithful to this deal, to the same extent other members are faithful to this deal."

“If they need to engage with the United States themselves in order to be able to comply with the obligation, then that’s something they would do and Iran would not have any role in it.”

Zarif said Iran was living up to its commitments under the deal and Russia and China were complying with most of the agreement.

However, he complained, other members were not seen to be able to comply or "do not have the political will to comply’"following the United States’ unilateral withdrawal from the agreement last year. 

Asked about Washington's call for renewed talks on Iran's missile program as well as its regional role, Zarif said, “These issues are not part of the deal." 

"We had agreed that in order to reach an agreement on the nuclear issue, we had to limit it to nuclear issue and we had also agreed that if we reach progress in implementing the nuclear deal, it will give the confidence to move in to other issues," he said.

“But the US had failed, it cannot make compliance with the nuclear deal contingent upon issues that are not included in the agreement,” Zarif added.

Tensions between Iran and the US increased after US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the multilateral deal with Tehran in May 2018. Trump has since been following what he calls a campaign of “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic. 

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