Speaking in an interview with PBS, US Special Representative for Iran Robert Malley, the chief negotiator in the ongoing Vienna talks made some remarks about the prospects for reviving the JCPOA.
Answering a question about the lifting of illegal sanctions imposed on Tehran after Trump's unilateral withdrawal from Iran's nuclear deal he said, "There's no agreement because nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. There's a text."
There's a very clear sense of what the European Union, the coordinator, thinks needs to be in the text for there to be a mutual return to compliance.
"Our position has been clear, as we have said from day one. We're prepared to come back into compliance with the nuclear deal if Iran does the same. And, for us, it's very clear what that means, in terms of the sanctions relief we need to offer and the kinds of steps that Iran needs to take to roll back its nuclear program," Malley claimed.
Malley's claims come as it is the American side that is dragging its feet on the table of negotiation and hesitating to fulfill its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.
In response to a question about giving any concessions to Iran in the talks, he said, "The issues will be closed when Iran provides the technically credible answers that the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has requested of them. As soon as they do that, and as soon as the agency is satisfied, we will be satisfied, but not before."
Regarding the fact that Iran’s cooperation with IAEA beyond safeguards is voluntary, Iranian officials have always asserted that the activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are completely peaceful and do not conflict with its obligations under JCPOA.
Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA -- Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany -- started talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna in April last year. While the parties noted progress in multiple rounds of talks, the indecisiveness shown by Washington has prevented any significant breakthrough.
Last month, the negotiations were hosted in the Qatari capital of Doha in a different format, with Tehran and Washington holding indirect talks mediated by the European Union. Those talks also failed to produce any tangible result due to the excessive demands of the US.
After several months of impasse, the Vienna talks resumed recently. Expert-level negotiations have been held between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries.
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