Iran to UK: West must take ‘courageous, realistic’ decision to facilitate deal in Vienna: FM Amir-Abdollahian

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says good progress has been made in the talks in Vienna with the P4+1 states, but in order to achieve a final agreement, the Western side is required to take a “courageous and realistic” political decision that guarantees Tehran’s interests.

“Accelerating the conclusion of an agreement [in Vienna] requires serious will on the part of the West to make a courageous and realistic political decision to ensure Iran’s interests, especially the objective removal of sanctions, in order to reach a durable agreement,” Amir-Abdollahian said in a phone call with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Thursday.

He expressed hope that the European parties to the landmark 2015 Iran deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), would pursue a realistic approach and play a constructive and appropriate role to help reach an agreement.

Referring to his meetings with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, on the sidelines of the 58th Munich Security Conference (MSC) last week, the Iranian foreign minister emphasized that the sides managed to make good progress to settle the outstanding issues in the Vienna talks.

In turn, the British foreign secretary, whose country is a party to the Vienna negotiations, said Iran and the P4+1 group of countries have so far made positive achievements, but they should complete the process of negotiations and conclude a deal agreed by all the sides as soon as possible.

Iran urges negotiating partners in Vienna to consider its red lines

Tehran calls on the remaining participants to the 2015 Iran deal to consider its red lines and avoid using media hype to sway negotiations in Vienna.

The United States left the JCPOA in 2018 and began to implement what it called the “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, depriving the country of the economic benefits of the agreement, including the removal of sanctions, for which Iran had agreed to certain caps on its nuclear activities.

In the meantime, the other parties to the deal, in particular France, Britain and Germany, only paid lip service to safeguarding Iran’s economic dividends as promised under the JCPOA, prompting Iran – after an entire year of “strategic patience” – to reduce its nuclear obligations in a legal move under the deal.

The Vienna talks began last April between Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA – Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- on the assumption that the US, under the Joe Biden administration, is willing to repeal the so-called maximum pressure policy pursued by former president Donald Trump.

Tehran says it won’t settle for anything less than the removal of all US sanctions in a verifiable manner. It also wants guarantees that Washington would not abandon the agreement again.

Removal of anti-Iran sanctions, valid guarantees essential to any deal in Vienna: President Raeisi

Iran’s President Raeisi says any agreement with powers in Vienna must remove all anti-Iran sanctions and secure the interests of the Iranian nation.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi said on Monday that any agreement with the P4+1 group of countries in Vienna for the revival of the JCPOA requires the removal of all anti-Iran sanctions, protection of the Iranian nation's interests, valid guarantees, and closure of political cases.

Britain’s debt to Iran

During the phone conversation, Amir-Abdollahian and Truss said the repayment of Britain’s overdue debts to Iran is among the main issues between Tehran and London, stressing the importance of finding an appropriate way to solve it as soon as possible.

The British foreign secretary expressed hope that the two countries would settle consular issues related to prisoners and the payment of London’s debt to Tehran in the near future through continued cooperation.

She said growing relations between the two countries would serve common interests.

Britain owes as much as £400m to Iran arising from the non-delivery of Chieftain tanks ordered by Iran's former monarchical regime. An international arbitration in 2008 ruled the UK owed the debt.

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