Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Monday January 24 that his country could start direct negotiations with Washington if necessary to reach a "
good deal
" on nuclear power.
Read alsoNuclear: Iran notes "efforts by all parties" for a "reliable" agreement
"
Currently Iran is not negotiating directly with the United States, but if during the negotiations we get to a point where reaching a good deal with strong safeguards requires some level of discussion with the United States , we will take it into consideration
,” he said at a conference held at the Foreign Ministry and broadcast on state television.
The 2015 deal, reached between Iran, the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany, offered Tehran relief from international sanctions against it in exchange for a limitation drastic change in its nuclear programme, placed under strict control by the UN, and in guarantees proving that it is not seeking to acquire the atomic bomb, as it has always claimed.
But in 2018, Donald Trump's United States withdrew and then reinstated economic sanctions against Iran.
In response, Iran has since 2019 freed itself from most of its key commitments made in the agreement.
Negotiations since April to return to the agreement
These talks resumed at the end of November in Vienna after a five-month hiatus between Iran and the countries still party to the international Iranian nuclear agreement concluded in 2015 (France, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, China). Their objective: a return of the United States to the agreement and bringing Iran back to respecting its commitments provided for in the pact. The United States participates indirectly in the negotiations.
Iran has claimed so far that the United States must "
change its attitude
" and return to the agreement before considering direct negotiations with them in Vienna.
"
We have direct negotiations with the 4+1
", stressed Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, referring to Germany and the four permanent members of the UN Security Council France, China, Great Britain and Russia.
“
Our indirect negotiations with the United States are currently taking place via (European diplomat (Enrique) Mora and one or two other countries present in Vienna,
” he added. “
During this time, the American side is sending messages in various ways whose objective is to have direct contact with the
Negotiations began in April before resuming in November after a suspension when Iran elected ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi.
