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US accepts talks with Iran, backtracks on Trump sanctions claim

Published : Saturday, 20 February, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 469

WASHINGTON, Feb 19: The United States said Thursday it was ready to meet with Iran and reversed Donald Trump's claims of new UN sanctions, providing an opening to jumpstart nuclear diplomacy.
Hours after Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his European counterparts, the United States welcomed a proposal to convene talks of all nations that were part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The EU political director, Enrique Mora, afterward proposed via Twitter an informal meeting of all participants, saying the nuclear accord was at a "critical moment" -- ahead of a weekend deadline for Iran to restrict some UN nuclear inspections.
"The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
The group which sealed the 2015 deal includes the United States and Iran as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. Former president Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord and instead imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at bringing Iran to its knees.
But President Joe Biden has supported a return to diplomacy, saying that the 2015 accord was effective in reducing Tehran's nuclear program. It remains to be seen if Iran will also be willing to sit down with the United States.
Iran has insisted that the United States first lift sanctions before it returns to full compliance with the 2015 accord, reversing steps it took in protest against Trump's measures. In one step Thursday, the Biden administration said it was no longer contending that the United Nations had imposed new sanctions on Iran.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that Iran would "immediately reverse" its retaliatory measures if the US lifts "all sanctions imposed, re-imposed or re-labelled by Trump". Ahead of a Sunday deadline set by Iran for it to restrict some access to UN nuclear inspectors unless sanctions are lifted, new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned jointly with European powers that the move would be "dangerous".
Hours after Blinken's videoconference with his French, British and German counterparts, the European Union political director, Enrique Mora, proposed via Twitter an "informal meeting" involving Iran -- and the US accepted.
"The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward," said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
The P5 -- UN Security Council powers Britain, China, France, Russia and the US -- plus Germany sealed the 2015 deal brokered by then president Barack Obama under which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear programme in exchange for promises of economic relief.
Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and re-imposed sweeping sanctions, aiming to bring Iran to its knees.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said there is currently no such thing as P5+1 "because of US withdrawal" from the agreement.
"Trump left the room and tried to blow it up," the spokesman tweeted. "Gestures are fine. But to revive P5+1, US must Act: LIFT sanctions. We WILL respond. Here is the key sequence: #CommitActMeet."
Zarif did not explicitly address the Biden administration's offer of talks. Iran has demanded an end to Trump's sanctions before reversing protest measures it began almost a year after the US withdrawal.
A senior US official said the Biden administration was showing good faith and saw a meeting as the start of a "prolonged path" to restoring and building on the nuclear accord.    -AFP













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