BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 31. Iran's nuclear discussions conducted in several directions (Iran and the US indirectly, Iran and European countries directly) have become conundrum, a former official of Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ghasem Mohebbali said, Trend reports.
According to him, it does not appear that optimal conditions exist to justify holding nuclear talks at this time.
Mohebbali also added that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program was an 8-year program that is nearing expiration. It has not been observed that any steps have been taken to restore this plan.
"Iran's indirect talks with the US were mostly prisoner exchanges. However, the removal of the US Special Representative for Iran Affairs, Robert Malley, stopped these discussions. If Malley is replaced by someone with a tougher attitude, then indirect talks between Iran and the United States will also come to a standstill," the ex-official stressed.
On January 16, 2016, Iran's nuclear program triggered the creation of the JCPOA between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany). In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. To preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019 and a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed.
On May 8, 2019, Iran announced ceasing to fulfill its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories that have not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it would not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal.
On September 5 of the same year, Iran announced its commitment to enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in the JCPOA. On November 5, 2019, Iran announced to have taking the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
On January 5, 2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within the JCPOA.
According to the obtained information, the US has 4 prisoners in Iran, and Iran has more than 10 prisoners in the US.
In the discussions, Iran is mainly trying to achieve the abolition of sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, the removal of its funds frozen in foreign countries, and the abolition of the restriction on the export of crude oil. In return, the US and Western countries want Iran not to acquire an atomic bomb, to keep its nuclear program under control, and to reduce the level of uranium enrichment.
On May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal 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 against Iran as of November 2018.
Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports and more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals. The sanctions have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets abroad.
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