Iran will respond to US as soon as expert review of American's response concludes: Foreign Ministry

The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the country is conducting an expert review of the response received from the United States to Tehran's amendments to the EU text on reviving the 2015 deal and will give an answer to Americans once that review is over.

Nasser Kan’ani made the remarks on Sunday after a visit to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, saying Tehran's response will be relayed to the Americans in the shortest possible time.

Asked about the exact time of Iran’s response, Kan’ani said no fixed time could be given right now, “but the response [to Americans] will be given after all the details are studied and a conclusion is reached."

“The important point is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is serious about reaching an agreement that would be both comprehensive and durable and also meet the country’s interests,” he added.

The Iranian spokesman said due to the sensitivity of issues related to the nuclear deal, and due to confidentiality of negotiations, “all sides have so far tried to respect the confidentiality of the talks, because early revelations through media would not help the outcome of the negotiations. Therefore, any information must be disseminated in suitable time.”

Kan’ani said outstanding issues related to an agreement on the revival of the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are not numerous.

“In other words, most issues related to the JCPOA agreement have been resolved, but the few outstanding issues are sensitive, important and determining issues,” he said.

“Iran is serious about reaching an agreement and believes that restoration of the JCPOA is both in line with the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the interests of the other parties to the deal. On the whole, this is a two-way path and there are mutual commitments [that must be respected],” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Kan’ani added, “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that implementation of the agreement is a two-way road and all members of the agreement must remain committed to their obligations.”

The United States, under former president Donald Trump, abandoned the agreement in May 2018 and reinstated unilateral sanctions that the agreement had lifted.

The talks to salvage the agreement kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April last year, months after Joe Biden succeeded Trump, with the intention of examining Washington's seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

Despite notable progress, the US indecisiveness and procrastination caused multiple interruptions in the marathon talks.

Four days of intense talks between representatives of Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA ended on August 8 with a modified text proposed by the EU on the table.

Iran submitted its response to the EU draft proposal on August 15, a week after the latest round of talks wrapped up. After submitting its response, Tehran urged Washington to show "realism and flexibility" in order to reach an agreement.

However, it took almost ten days for the Biden administration to submit its response to Iran's comments on the EU draft.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Friday that the talks to revive the JCPOA and remove sanctions are at the "final stages" but the United States needs to adopt a realistic approach.

He added that the outstanding issues in the JCPOA revival talks can be resolved if the US acts realistically.

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