BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 15. Iran's policy is to hold indirect (non-direct) talks with the US on the nuclear issue, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi told reporters, Trend reports.
According to him, Iran has held talks with the remaining members of the Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in recent years, and these countries have held talks with the US.
Araghchi stated that there were actually indirect discussions in this form. Iran's policy in this regard remains unchanged.
“Iran will not participate in discussions with the US government on the nuclear issue until Iran returns to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The US should announce its policy on this issue. In any case, the US has withdrawn from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and there are no discussions with the US in this context. However, Iran will continue negotiations with European countries, China, and Russia,” he noted.
The Iranian minister noted that the new US government has not yet come to power.
“Discussions with the current government through the so-called 'consultation process' have been held indirectly. Of course, talks have been held with European countries as well. Naturally, Iran will adjust its policy depending on the function of the opposing sides. Iran will engage in discussions based on mutual respect, honor, and dignity, not on pressure, threats, and sanctions,'' he added.
To note, on January 16, 2016, the JCPOA came into force between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) regarding Iran’s nuclear program. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions on Iran starting from November 2018.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20–30 percent.
Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.