Iran Nuclear Deal: UK, France, Germany, US diplomats to hold talks on JCPOA revival

EU diplomats, the US, France, and Germany will hold talks on Thursday to discuss the revival of Iran’s nuclear deal, ahead of the deadline set up by Iran that could hamper the commitments to preserve the JCPOA. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will host his German and British counterparts in Paris, while the US secretary of state will join French diplomats on a video conference, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement. The meeting comes ahead of the UN nuclear watchdog chief’s travel to Iran planned for this weekend to find a “mutually acceptable solution” to the Iran nuclear deal, sources of The Associated Press confirmed. The EU and the US dialogue on JCPOA will also outdo the obstacles to the inspections in Iran, as the EU looks forward to resolving the diplomatic standoff between Iran and the US. 

“Director General Rafael Grossi will visit Tehran on Saturday for discussions with senior Iranian officials,” The International Atomic Energy Agency informed in a statement, without identifying the name of the Iranian officials.

The aim is “to find a mutually agreeable solution for the IAEA to continue essential verification activities in the country,” the IAEA further stated.

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Separately, in a telephonic conversation held with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the “high interest” of Germany and the other JCPOA signatories, France, Britain, Russia, and China in maintaining the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, Germany’s foreign affairs office informed on February 17. German Chancellor Merkel told the Iranian leader that it was “now time for positive signals that create trust and raise the chances of a diplomatic solution,” the German office further stated in the document. “She expressed her concern that Iran continues to fail to meet its obligations under the nuclear agreement,” Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said in an official statement. The high-level meeting comes in response to Iran’s ambassador Kazem Gharibabadi’s letter to The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which stated that Iran was going to impose the restrictions on inspectors, effective Feb. 23. 

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an Iranian nuclear deal framework was signed in 2015 by Iran and several other nations, including the US to restrict Iran's stockpiling of uranium and other nuclear programs in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, accusing Iran of failing to curtail its missile program and ignoring the deal's limitations, and resuming the nuclear activities for regional influence, former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement. Trump reimposed a trade embargo and hit the Islamic Republic with economic sanctions, additionally labelling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, and commanding the drone strike against Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport.  The US, under the Trump administration, exercised a “maximum pressure” strategy against Tehran for the regime’s hostage-taking and funding terror groups, as well as nuclear and ballistic missile programs.  

Iran asks US to 'lift sanctions'

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Iran's supreme leader asked the United States to lift all economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, saying that if the US wants Iran to live up to commitments under its nuclear deal with world powers, it will have to lift sanctions to get the country on the bargaining table, according to his remarks on a state TV.  meanwhile, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani called on the Biden administration to “compensate for past mistakes” and return the US to Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal. “Now, an opportunity has come up for the next U.S. administration to compensate for past mistakes and return to the path of complying with international agreements through respect of international norms,” he said, according to AP. 

Read: Hassan Rouhani Slams Biden Admin's Iran Policy; 'No Different From Trump's'

Read: Iran: Nuclear Deal Only After Sanctions Relief