Nuclear Deal 2015 revival requires only 'will', main issues 'resolved': Hassan Rouhani

Iran President Hassan Rouhani on June 2 said that a breakthrough in Nuclear Deal 2015 talks in Vienna to revive the pact before he is set to leave the office in August required "will" and most issues are already "resolved". Rouhani is one of the main architects of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal signed in 2015. 

However, former US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the deal in 2018 and imposed crippling sanctions on Iran. Under the terms of the agreement, global sanctions on Iran were eased in exchange for a commitment from Tehran that it would not elevate its nuclear programme. Now, the final decision regarding the ongoing negotiations in Vienna is with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"Our main issues with the United States in these negotiations have been resolved, and there are only a few minor issues left, on which we will negotiate and produce results," Rouhani said, at a televised cabinet meeting.

"If there is the will that this be done in the current administration, then this administration has finished the work," he added.

Rouhani’s remarks on Wednesday came as Iranians are scheduled to vote for a new president on June 18. Rouhani has already served the maximum of two consecutive terms that are allowed for any president under the Iranian constitution. He would be handing over the power to his successor in August. Meanwhile, the negotiations to revive the Iran Nuclear Deal kickstarted in April between Iran and the remaining members of the accord including Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. Earlier, the Russian envoy for the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov tweeted that they had reached a point where the remaining countries were required to consult with their respective capitals. 

US Says It Is Unclear If Iran Is 'Ready And Willing' 

Meanwhile, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on May 23 said that it still remains unclear if Iran is “ready and willing” to take the required measures to rejoin to compliance with the multination nuclear deal, more popularly known as Iran Nuclear Deal. 

While speaking ahead of the fifth round of talks in Vienna on rescuing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Blinken was reportedly asked about the Iranian reports that the United States has already agreed to lift crippling sanctions from the Islamic Republic. In an interview with ABC, when asked about Iran, Blinken simply said, “we don’t know.” The talks halted on June 2 and are now due to resume at the end of next week.

Blinken had said, "We know what sanctions would need to be lifted if they're inconsistent with the nuclear agreement,” before adding that, “Iran, I think, knows what it needs to do to come back into compliance on the nuclear side, and what we haven't yet seen is whether Iran is ready and willing to make a decision. That's the test and we don't yet have an answer.”

IMAGE: AP