The European Union (EU) and the United States said on Tuesday August 16 they were examining Iran's response to the "
final
" text proposed by the EU to revive the nuclear agreement, a crucial step after months of difficult negotiations.
These negotiations between Iran and the great powers launched in April 2021 in Vienna, aim to resurrect an international agreement of 2015, known by its English acronym JCPOA, which guarantees the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear program, accused despite its denials to seek to acquire atomic weapons.
Iranian response under study
The “
final text
” proposed by the EU allows the return of the United States to the agreement, from which it withdrew unilaterally in 2018, and the lifting of American sanctions imposed on Iran, provided that this country respects commitments and ceases to exceed prescribed limits on enrichment and other sensitive nuclear activities.
“
We received the Iranian response yesterday (Monday) evening.
We are studying it and consulting the other JCPOA participants and the United States on the way forward
,” a spokesman for Josep Borrell, head of European diplomacy and facilitator of the indirect negotiations in Vienna, told AFP. Iran and the United States.
Iran, which has "
submitted its written response
" to the EU, considers an agreement possible "
if the United States reacts with realism and flexibility
", according to the official Irna agency.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that the United States "
received Iranian comments through the EU and is considering them
."
'No schedule'
According to the Iranian agency Isna, Tehran “
expects to receive the response from the other party within the next two days
”.
But in Brussels, asked about the time needed to examine the Iranian "
response
", a spokeswoman for Josep Borrell, Nabila Massrali, said during a press briefing: "
at this stage, everyone is examining the response ( Iran) and now is not the time to speculate on a timetable
".
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Josep Borrell "
is in regular contact with all the participants (in the negotiations), including the United States
", she added, stressing that the EU did not intend "to
share details on the ongoing process or on the positions of the participants
.
Concluded between Iran on the one hand and the United States, Great Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia on the other, the JCPOA was torpedoed in 2018 by the withdrawal of the United States. United under Donald Trump and the reinstatement of US sanctions that are suffocating the Iranian economy.
In response, Iran gradually freed itself from its obligations.
After chaotic negotiations, suspended twice, the EU announced on August 8 a
non-negotiable “
final text ”.
During the talks in Vienna, the EU played the intermediary between Washington and Tehran, which have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1980. According to Irna, “
the differences relate to three points.
The United States verbally expressed flexibility on two (not specified, editor's note) but that should be included in the text.
The third concerns the guarantee of a lasting agreement
” demanded by Iran to ensure that the United States does not withdraw again from the JCPOA.
"Closer"
The Iranian demand for removal from the US blacklist of the Revolutionary Guards, Iran's ideological army, is no longer on the agenda, according to a European official.
But on the other hand, there remain the lasting guarantees of the agreement demanded by Tehran and the Iranian request that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) close the question of undeclared sites in Iran, where traces of enriched uranium had been found.
For Mohammad Marandi, an adviser to the Iranian negotiating team, “
the outstanding issues are not difficult to resolve.
They are linked to fears of Iran due to past violations by the United States and the EU
”.
"
I can't say that we will reach an agreement but we are closer to it than before
," he added on Twitter.
Read alsoNuclear: Tehran does not act “hastily” to conclude an agreement
On Monday, the State Department declined to say whether the United States was ready to approve the EU plan, refraining from commenting on the possibility of a lifting of American sanctions in the event of a green light. Iranian to the European compromise.
He again passed the ball back to Iran.
“
The only way to achieve a mutual return to the JCPOA...is for Iran to drop its unacceptable demands that go far beyond the agreement.
»
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