Iran Foreign Ministry: Only path for US to rejoin‎ JCPOA is full compliance, removal of all sanctions

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says the only path for the United States to rejoin‎ the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is full compliance and removal of all sanctions.

“The only US ‘path back’ to the Deal is: full compliance & effective removal of ALL imposed, re-imposed & re-labeled sanctions,” Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a post on his official Twitter page on Wednesday. 

“Only after that, we'll stop our remedial measures,” he added, pointing to the countermeasures taken by Iran one year after the US in May 2018 unilaterally left the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reimposed the sanctions that had been removed as part of the agreement. 

Khatibzadeh pointed out that unlike the US, Iran still remains a party to the JCPOA, stressing that certain “media spinning can’t change” this fact.

The tweet came after US State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a press briefing rejected what he called Tehran's position of "maximalist demands."

“I think what we can essentially rule out are the maximalist demands that the United States do everything first and only in turn would Iran then act, I don't think anyone is under the impression that that would be a viable proposal,” he said.

In addition to reimposition of sanctions, the administration of former US president Donald Trump also imposed fresh sanctions against Tehran in its last days in office.

Joe Biden, who was vice president when the JCPOA was clinched, hit out at Trump for leaving the accord and expressed a willingness to return his country to the JCPOA both during his presidential campaign and after he took office on January 20.

However, his administration has sent mixed signals on how the US would resume its obligations regarding the deal, and says the ball is in Iran’s court to return to full compliance with the accord.

Iran says, as the party that has withdrawn from the JCPOA, it is the US that should take the first step by removing all the sanctions before Tehran would reverse its remedial measures.

Iranian officials also emphasize that Tehran will need enough time to verify the termination of the sanctions, and that it cannot be done within “a short time.”

Khatibzadeh told Press TV on Tuesday that the US has to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal by removing its anti-Iran sanctions all at once, asserting that the Islamic Republic will accept no “step-for-step” approach in this regard.

The spokesman said Iran’s position was “crystal clear,” adding, “We have just one step and that is the removal of all the sanctions imposed.”

He also pointed to the talks between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA -- the UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany – over the future of the agreement and said the talks held so far have been focused on how the parties attending the Commission to the JCPOA “could make sure that the US will get back to full compliance and effectively remove all imposed, re-imposed or re-labeled sanctions after it ceased its participation in the JCPOA.”

A US delegation headed by the administration’s special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, was also in the Austrian capital, Vienna, where the talks were held, but it was not attending the discussions.

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had said Iran and the US will have no direct or indirect talks in Vienna.

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