TEHRAN (Washington Insider Magazine) – US and Iranian authorities have signaled that talks in Austria to resurrect the Nuclear agreement are approaching completion, boosting expectations that the pact may be revived shortly.
Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s chief nuclear strategist, remarked on Wednesday that the sides in Vienna are “closer than ever” to achieving an agreement.
According to Al Jazeera, State Department spokesman Ned Price noted that the decision on whether the pact, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), may be revived in the coming days.
The Iranian ambassador also urged his Austrian counterparts to prevent “intransigence” and to learn from the 4 years after former American President Donald Trump canceled the agreement. “Time for their serious decisions,” he added.
Iran agreed to cut back its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions against its economic system in a global accord signed in 2015.
However, following Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, the US has been executing a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign on Iran. Iran has responded by stepping up its nuclear program, which includes uranium enrichment.
As part of the 8th round of talks, earlier this month in Vienna, Tehran and Washington started indirect discussions to revive the accord.
On Wednesday, Price reiterated the United States’ request for direct discussions to save the agreement.
Officials from the United States have earlier cautioned that the timeframe for reviving the accord was only a matter of weeks.
Price, on the other hand, stated on Wednesday that negotiations in the “coming days” will be significant, implying that the deal’s fate is tied to the conclusion of the ongoing round of discussions in Vienna.
Democrats and Republicans in the United States, along with some major legislators, have recently expressed objection to reviving the agreement, arguing that any accord with Iran should resolve Iran’s ballistic missile program and geographical activities, which Iranian authorities have stated they are unwilling to consult with Washington.
Despite mounting hostility in Washington, a Morning Research poll of 2,005 US voters in the state released on Wednesday found that 53 percent of respondents support the JCPOA, while only 24 % reject it.
Image via Reuters
