Informed sources to Press TV: US must remove all sanctions denying Iran’s JCPOA benefits

Two informed Iranian sources tell Press TV that the United States must first remove all sanctions that do not allow Iran to benefit from the nuclear deal it signed with world powers in 2015, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), before the Islamic Republic accepts results of the ongoing talks in Vienna.

The sources told Press TV on Thursday that the Islamic Republic’s authorities would accept the outcomes of the ongoing Vienna talks on the revival of the JCPOA only when all sanctions unilaterally imposed on the country by the US are removed and Iran verifies the removal of sanctions.

According to Press TV, at the present time, the main hurdles that prevent Iran from taking full advantage of the JCPOA are executive orders 12959, 13599, 13876, and 13949 signed by the US president.

Based on Press TV’s report, such US acts as CAATSA and ISA as well as visa and U-turn regulations and the so-called Section 311 of the USA Patriot Act are other major obstacles that prevent Iran from availing itself of the full benefits of the JCPOA.

Press TV says other problems not allowing Iran to benefit from the JCPOA include non-removal of sanctions and temporary 120- and 180-day lifting of US bans.

On Thursday, the informed Iranian sources told Press TV that the US must accept that in case of restoration of sanctions, foreign companies would be authorized to continue to work with Iran for a period of four years.

Press TV also quoted informed Iranian sources as saying that the United States must accept that in case of Washington’s return to the JCPOA, it would never activate the so-called “snapback” mechanism of the nuclear deal.

The sources further told Press TV that the United States must accept to make up for all the losses incurred by Iran as a result of Washington’s illegal withdrawal from the JCPOA.

The remarks by the Iranian sources came after the Associated Press quoted “current and former US officials and others familiar with the matter” as saying that the Biden administration is considering a near wholesale rollback of some of the most stringent sanctions imposed on Iran in a bid to get the Islamic Republic to return to compliance with the JCPOA.

Biden administration’s officials have denied they will remove all non-nuclear sanctions imposed on Iran.

“Any return to the JCPOA would require sanctions relief, but we are considering removing only those sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.

He added, “Even if we rejoin the JCPOA — which remains a hypothetical — we would retain and continue to implement sanctions on Iran for activities not covered by the JCPOA, including Iran’s missile proliferation, support for terrorism, and human rights abuses.”

The United States, under former President Donald Trump, left the JCPOA signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in May 2018 and restored the economic sanctions that the accord had lifted in addition to imposing new non-nuclear ones.

Tehran responded to the noncompliance of the US with the deal through remedial nuclear measures that it is entitled to take under the JCPOA’s Paragraph 36.

After a change of the US administration, new President Joe Biden claimed that Washington was ready to rejoin the deal.

The Islamic Republic has insisted that it would only stop its adherence to the JCPOA paragraph once the US removed all the sanctions in one step and after Iran has verified that the sanctions removal has actually taken place.

The US so far failed to meet Iran’s condition.

Following another round of talks between representatives of Iran and other signatories to the JCPOA, Iran’s top negotiator Abbas Araqchi told Press TV in Vienna on Tuesday that in order for the nuclear deal to get back on track, the United States must remove all the sanctions imposed on the country after the 2015 nuclear deal took effect.

He said all the sanctions imposed on Iran during the terms of ex-president Barack Obama and his successor, Trump, following the implementation of the JCPOA in early 2016 must be terminated before the United States can return to the agreement.

At the end of the JCPOA Joint Commission meeting in Vienna on Tuesday, representatives of Iran and the P4+1 agreed to accelerate the process of the talks on the revival of the agreement.

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