BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 2. Iran has expressed willingness to continue the negotiations on its nuclear program, as long as they serve its national interests, Trend reports.
The spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Kanaani, said at a press conference in Tehran on October 2, 2023, that Iran considers the discussions to be an appropriate process for all parties (the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA is the 2015 nuclear deal that was signed by Iran and the world powers, which aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the deal was abandoned by the US in 2018, which re-imposed sanctions on Iran. Iran then reduced its compliance with the deal, and increased its uranium enrichment and stockpile.
Kanaani said that negotiations are important for Iran so that all parties can responsibly return to the JCPOA. He said that Iran welcomes and supports the good faith efforts of friendly countries, such as Oman, to bring the positions of the parties closer together.
The spokesman added that Iran will remain committed to the negotiation process as long as it serves the country’s national interests. He said that the unknown situation for JCPOA is the result of the US unilaterally abandoning this plan.
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). However, 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.
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.
In late 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to implement a strategic plan to tackle the sanctions, citing the non-implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of sanctions on Iran. According to the decision of the Iranian parliament, as of February 23, Iran suspended the implementation of additional steps and an additional protocol provided for in the nuclear deal. As a result, the control mechanism of the IAEA decreased by 20–30 percent.
Iran discloses various programs related to its nuclear industry to reflect that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. However, according to the information obtained by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has increased the amount of highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months, and currently, the country's enriched uranium reserves are 4,745 kilograms. This is 15 times more than the amount of uranium allowed for Iran in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran is currently looking for various ways to resume discussions with the other parties regarding its nuclear program and eventually restore the JCPOA.
The country is mainly trying to achieve the abolition of sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, the removal of its funds frozen abroad, 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.
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