New Iranian govt won't change stance on nuclear deal

Iran's position on the country's 2015 nuclear deal and the removal of sanctions will not change even after the new government under President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes over next month. Under the deal reached in 2015, Tehran agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear program in exchange for decreased economic sanctions.

Tehran: Iran's position on the country's 2015 nuclear deal and the removal of sanctions will not change even after the new government under President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes over next month, a government official said. "The government of Raisi will also be committed to it (potential agreement) because adherence to the commitments and promises is always a principle for the Islamic republic," Xinhua news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying to reporters on Tuesday. Progress has been made in the nuclear talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna and it is acknowledged by all parties to the negotiation, Khatibzadeh added.

However, there are still important issues that largely need to be decided by other parties, especially the US, as the finalization of the agreement on the revival of the landmark nuclear deal, officially referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), "depends on the political will and tough decisions of other parties involved", he noted. Meanwhile, "we do not set any deadline for reaching an agreement which could guarantee the interests of the Iranian people... We are not in a hurry to reach an agreement, but we will not allow the negotiations to erode", Khatibzadeh warned.

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Under the deal reached in 2015, Tehran agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear program in exchange for decreased economic sanctions. However, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments in May 2019, a year after the administration of former US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the agreement and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran. The JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by the US delegation indirectly, began in-person meetings on April 6 in Vienna to continue previous discussions over a possible return of Washington to the deal and how to ensure its full and effective implementation. After six rounds of talks, the parties recently said serious differences remain between Iran and the US for the restoration of the deal.

(IANS)