Deal on JCPOA revival still possible if West acts wisely: Iran’s Raeisi

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has once again blamed the West for the stalemate in talks on the revival of 2015 deal, saying, however, that Iran and the P4+1 group of countries can still reach a final agreement if the opposite side acts wisely.

“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is logical and rational and it is obvious that if the opposite side also acts logically and rationally, the negotiations can yield result,” Raeisi said on Tuesday.

He added that a firm determination on the part of the opposite side is the key to success in the diplomatic process on a revitalization of the multilateral accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The Islamic Republic of Iran never left the negotiating table. It was the Westerners who created a crisis in the midst of the talks by adopting a resolution at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),” Raeisi pointed out.

The IAEA's Board of Governors adopted the resolution on June 8, accusing Iran of not cooperating with the agency. The resolution was approved with 30 votes in favor, two against, and three abstentions.

It came as Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- had held several rounds of negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna since April last year to restore the agreement, which was abandoned by former US President Donald Trump in May 2018.

In quitting the agreement, Trump restored sanctions on Iran as part of what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign against the country. Those sanctions are being enforced to this day by the Joe Biden administration, even though it has repeatedly acknowledged that the policy has been a mistake and a failure.

Meanwhile, Iran and the US concluded two days of indirect talks, mediated by the European Union, in the Qatari capital of Doha, late in July in an attempt to break the stalemate in reviving the JCPOA.

US anti-Iran sanctions detrimental to global economy, Europe: Raeisi tells Macron

Iran

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that reaching an agreement [on the JCPOA revival] hinges on the full resolution of safeguard issues and the provision of necessary guarantees, including continued adherence of the parties to the agreement and fulfillment of the economic interests of the Iranian nation," the Iranian chief executive pointed out.

Elsewhere in his Tuesday address, Raeisi elaborated on his administration's achievements in the diplomatic arena over the past year, saying promotion of the neighborly policy is a main principle in Iran's diplomacy.

The Iranian president added that the country has taken steps to bolster relations with its neighbors and increased the value of trade exchanges with them.

In a meeting with visiting Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow in June, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei hailed the Iranian government’s policy of expanding relations with neighbors as a good policy.

Leader stresses Iran’s 'neighbors first' policy in talks with Turkmen president

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei hails the Iranian government’s policy of expanding relations with neighbors as a good policy.

“The policy of the administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to expand relations with neighboring countries, and this is a completely correct policy,” the Leader stated.

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