BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 26. We have always said that we maintain the ability to communicate with Iran and deliver messages to them when it is in the US best interest to do so, Matthew Miller, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said at a briefing, while answering a question on whether there is any progress on the oint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Trend reports.
"We do continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to verifiably and durably ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon <...> diplomacy is the best way, as I just said, to verifiably and durably ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and it is a priority of this administration to ensure that," he said.
The JCPOA, initiated in January 2016, is an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group (comprising the US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) regarding Iran's nuclear program. However, in May 2018, the US withdrew from the agreement and imposed sanctions on Iran, followed by additional sanctions in November of the same year. To uphold the JCPOA's provisions, the European signatories established a financial mechanism called INSTEX in January 2019 to facilitate trade with Iran.
On May 8, 2019, Iran declared its discontinuation of commitments related to the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stipulated in the JCPOA, citing the non-compliance of other signatories with their obligations. Subsequently, on July 7, Iran announced its decision to disregard commitments regarding uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility, as outlined in the agreement.
On September 5, Iran made an announcement stating its intention to enrich uranium using advanced centrifuges and abstain from mixing it with enriched uranium residues, constituting the third phase of reducing its commitments within the JCPOA. Later, on November 5, 2019, Iran declared the implementation of the fourth phase in reducing its obligations under the nuclear agreement, specifically by injecting uranium gas into centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
In January 2020, Iran proceeded with the final fifth step of reducing its commitments within the JCPOA.