Iran welcomes 'path of diplomacy and negotiations’, urges US to be ‘realistic’

Iran's foreign minister says his country welcomes continuation of the path of diplomacy with the aim of reaching an agreement on the removal of anti-Tehran sanctions and the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, while urging the US to be "realistic".  

In a telephone call with European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Wednesday, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian addressed the issue of the bloc's recent initiative, asserting that Iran "welcomes continuation of the path of diplomacy and negotiations” to reach a deal.

Borrell on Tuesday said he had proposed a new draft text aimed at reviving the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“This text represents the best possible deal that I, as facilitator of the negotiations, see as feasible. It is not a perfect agreement, but it addresses all essential elements and includes hard-won compromises by all sides,” he wrote in an article for the Financial Times.

The top Iranian diplomat told his European counterpart that the US constantly says it is in favor of an agreement, adding that if such an intention holds water, the country "should manifest itself [both] in the text of the agreement and in action."

“There is no doubt concerning the will of the Islamic Republic’s government for conclusion of a good, strong, and sustainable agreement,” the Iranian official said, thanking Borrell and his deputy Enrique Mora for their efforts towards realization of an agreement.

Borrell, for his part, said the Iranian side had indicated its positive and serious will during the course of the negotiations, adding that it is the time for the talks to yield result.

The top EU foreign policy official laid emphasis on his and his deputy’s readiness to help facilitate and expedite this course through liaison and consultation with all concerned parties.

The United States reinstated sanctions on Iran in May 2018 after unilaterally leaving a historic accord between Iran and world powers that was sealed in 2015.

The Austrian capital of Vienna hosted several rounds of talks since April last year between Iran and the remaining parties to the deal to examine the prospect of the sanctions removal and potential revival of the deal.

The talks’ venue was shifted to the Qatari capital earlier this year, with the European Union being tasked with coordinating indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States. The first round of the talks last month was marked by US indecisiveness. 

“If America treads realistically down the path of [finding] a resolution and conclusion of an agreement, then a good agreement would be accessible by all the parties,” Amir-Abdollahian said on Wednesday.

He noted that the Islamic Republic had, since the outset of the talks, shown its good faith and serious will towards emergence of an agreement.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Iran’s top negotiator in nuclear talks, Ali Baqeri-Kani said he had "serious and constructive exchanges" with other sides in the past week, adding that the coordinator (Borrell) has "shared his ideas to conclude the negotiations."

"We, too, have our own ideas, both in substance & form, to conclude the negotiations which would be shared," he stated.

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