Iran rejects informal nuclear talks with US and EU and insists Biden must first lift sanctions

WASHINGTON – Iran on Sunday rejected an invitation from global powers that signed the 2015 nuclear deal to discuss the regime’s possible return to the negotiating table, a significant setback in the Biden government’s efforts to revive the deal.

“Considering the recent actions and declarations by the United States and three European powers, Iran does not consider this the time to hold an informal meeting with these countries, which was proposed by the EU’s foreign policy chief,” said the spokesman. Iranian Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, according to Tehran state media.

The White House said on Sunday that the Biden government was disappointed by Iran’s decision to skip the informal meeting with the United States and the other signatories to the 2015 pact – France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China.

“While we are disappointed with Iran’s response, we remain ready to engage again in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return on fulfilling JCPOA commitments,” a senior government official told NBC News.

“We will be consulting our P5 + 1 partners on the best way forward,” said the official, referring to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.

The Biden government has previously said it wants to revive the nuclear deal, but will not lift sanctions until Tehran resumes it. Tehran refused to negotiate as long as U.S. sanctions remain in place.

The 2015 Joint Global Action Plan (JCPOA), brokered by the Obama administration, lifted sanctions against Iran that hurt its economy and cut its oil exports by almost half. In exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions, Iran has agreed to dismantle part of its nuclear program and open its facilities for broader international inspections.

The United States and its European allies believe that Iran has ambitions to develop a nuclear bomb. Tehran has denied this charge.

In 2018, then President Donald Trump kept a campaign promise and pulled the United States out of the JCPOA, calling it “the worst deal ever.” After Washington left the historic nuclear deal, other signatories to the pact tried to keep it alive.

In a letter released by Sunda ‘, Republican senators warned President Joe Biden not to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal because it is “fraught with problems” and instead pushed for a more comprehensive deal.

“The scope of any agreement with Iran must address the full range of Iranian conduct, including regional terrorism, ballistic missiles and the detention of American citizens. It is no surprise that Iran’s representatives support Assad’s ongoing atrocities in Syria, attack our troops and diplomats in Iraq, brought Lebanon to the brink of collapse, threaten our Israeli and Gulf partners and contribute to the world’s biggest humanitarian disaster in Yemen, “wrote Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Jim Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Rob Portman of Ohio in a joint letter to Biden.

“Despite criticism of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, there is no denying that it has inflicted a cost on Iran for its evil activities and now presents its government with a lever to get a better deal from Iran. honor their commitments, “wrote the senators.

Washington’s strained relationship with Tehran has worsened several times under the Trump administration.

Last year, the United States carried out an air strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top military commander. Iran retaliated by launching at least a dozen missiles from its territory on January 7 at two military bases in Iraq that house American troops and coalition forces.

A day later, from the White House, Trump said Iran appeared to be “retreating” and warned Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

In the wake of the deadly US attack, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said the Trump administration has committed an “act of terror”.

Soleimani’s death led the regime to further reduce compliance with the international nuclear pact. In January 2020, Iran said it would no longer limit its ability to enrich uranium or nuclear research.

In October, the United States unilaterally re-imposed UN sanctions on Tehran through a snapback process, which other members of the UN Security Council previously said Washington had no authority to execute because it withdrew from the 2018 nuclear deal.

A month later, a leading Iranian nuclear scientist was murdered near Tehran, prompting the Iranian government to claim that Israel was behind the attack with US support.

During the summer of 2019, a series of attacks in the Persian Gulf put the U.S. and Iran on the path to greater confrontation.

In June, US officials said an Iranian surface-to-air missile dropped an American military surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the aircraft was over its territory. The attack came a week after the United States blamed Iran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region and after four oil tankers were attacked in May.

In June, the United States imposed new sanctions on Iranian military leaders accused of overturning the drone. The measures were also aimed at blocking financial resources for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

Tensions rose again in September 2019, when the U.S. blamed Iran for attacks in Saudi Arabia on the world’s largest oil processing plant and oil field.

This attack forced the kingdom to cut its production operations in half and triggered the biggest rise in oil prices in decades and renewed concerns about a new war in the Middle East. Iran says it was not responsible for the attacks.