‘Diplomatic window of opportunity’ open to bring Iran deal back on track: EU

The European Union's top foreign policy official has called for a concerted effort to use what he has referred to as a "diplomatic window of opportunity" in order to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement signed between Iran and major world powers.

“This is an occasion that we cannot miss,” to reinvigorate the nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters on Friday via video-link.

The future of the JCPOA has been in doubt since May 2018, when the US under ex-president Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement and imposed the “toughest ever” sanctions on Iran as part of his so-called “maximum pressure,” which tried in vain to force Iran back to the negotiating table for talks on a “better deal.”

Despite throwing verbal support behind the JCPOA, the European parties to the deal — France, Britain and Germany — ultimately succumbed to Washington’s pressure and failed to fulfill their contractual commitments to Tehran, mainly by confronting the American sanctions.

That promoted Tehran to begin a set of retaliatory measures in several stages as part of its legal rights stipulated in Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA. The latest such measure was the halt in the implementation of the Additional Protocol, which was required by the parliament-adopted law.

“I am convinced as coordinator of the JCPOA that we do have diplomatic space, a diplomatic window of opportunity to dialogue,” Borrell said.

The top EU diplomat added, “We need to use this opportunity and focus on solutions to bring the JCPOA back on track in order for everybody (to fulfill) their commitments.”

Joe Biden, the current president of the United States, has repeatedly spoken of a willingness to rejoin the Iran deal, but, in practice, it has so far been sticking with Trump’s futile pressure campaign. It says Tehran should return to full compliance with the deal before the US comes back.

US must put words into action, swiftly honor JCPOA commitments under UN resolution: Iran

Iran slams the new US administration for the mere talk of a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, while sticking, in practice, with the “maximum pressure” campaigned initiated by Trump.

Iran, however, says the US should first lift all the sanctions put in place under the Trump administration before the Islamic Republic returns to full compliance. Tehran believes it was the White House that complicated the circumstances by the pullout, which in turn prompted Iran to take remedial measures.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on February 17 that Iran will not accept mere verbal promises in the case of the nuclear agreement this time around and needs to see action on the part of the co-signatories, given the many instances of counterparty non-compliance the country has faced.

Leader: Iran wants to see action on nuclear deal, won’t settle for words

Ayatollah Khamenei says Iran will not accept mere verbal promises in the case of the 2015 nuclear agreement this time around and needs to see action on the part of the co-signatories.

“Concerning the JCPOA, I should just say one word. We have heard many nice words and promises that have been violated and have not been fulfilled in action,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “But this time around, [we accept] only actions!”

As the US refrained from lifting sanctions before the February 21 deadline set by Tehran, Iran announced that the country stopped the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Safeguards Agreement that allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out short-notice inspections of the country’s nuclear facilities.

Iran blocks IAEA nuclear inspections under Additional Protocol following sanctions deadline

Iran ceases the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out short-notice inspections from the country’s nuclear facilities.

The halt came under the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions, a law passed last December by the Iranian Parliament requiring the administration to tighten its retaliatory measures.

On the day of the deadline, however, Tehran and the IAEA reached “a temporary bilateral technical understanding,” as part of which the UN nuclear watchdog would continue its “necessary verification and monitoring activities for a period of up to three months.”

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said the Islamic Republic had agreed to keep recording information on its inspection equipment for three months without granting the IAEA access.

“If the sanctions are completely lifted within three months, Iran will give this information to the agency. If not, the information will be deleted forever,” it added.

Read more: 

• Leader: Iran will not back down on nuclear issue, will continue to advance based on its needs

• Press TV interviews Zarif: Talks will begin once US, JCPOA signatories return to compliance

• US must secure return to JCPOA by lifting bans, no need for talks: Iran envoy to UN

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