TEHRAN, Iran, April. 3
Trend:
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said the JCPOA deadlock is being broken and the US is changing its approach toward Iran.
Talking to thousands of participants in a conversation on Clubhouse, an audio-chat app, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Trend reports.
Ali Akbar Salehi noted that all of the steps that Iran has taken to enrich nuclear fuel at higher levels are reversible in a matter of months.
He said those steps have given Iran leverage in negotiations, adding, “You can’t bargain until you have power.”
"Thankfully we are moving past the childish debate of who goes first on a JCPOA return. The fact that we have passed such a stage is promising,” said Salehi.
The AEOI chief added that, “The deadlock is being broken and we must wait to see how technical talks will proceed next week,” noting that, “If the deadlock continues, it's not to the benefit of anyone. It doesn't benefit Iran, the region, or the United States.”
Salehi also said, if the US wants to deal with the challenges it faces in the region, Iran is the ‘golden key.’ America must recognize Iran's national interests adding that he thinks America is reaching this conclusion and changing its approach toward Iran.
The 18th meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission was held virtually on Friday, with the participants agreeing to resume in-person talks, in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday.
Iran and the United States will, next week in Vienna, begin exchanging ideas about how to restore the 2015 nuclear deal. Initially, though, there will be no direct talks between the two countries, officials in Europe and the United States said on Friday.