{"id":237361,"date":"2021-04-06T05:28:28","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T10:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=237361"},"modified":"2023-02-01T05:00:02","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T04:00:02","slug":"upcoming-nuclear-talks-should-demand-compliance-not-compromise-from-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/blog\/op-ed\/upcoming-nuclear-talks-should-demand-compliance-not-compromise-from-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Upcoming Nuclear Talks Should Demand Compliance, Not Compromise, From Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iran-nuclear-flag\"<\/p>\n

By: Alejo Vidal Quadras<\/strong><\/p>\n

Representatives of the Iranian regime are expected to meet with all other signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal<\/a> apart from the United States this week. The gathering in Vienna is being described as a venue for \u201cindirect\u201d negotiations between Iran and the U.S., pending direct talks that would hash out the details of both nations returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen whether the meeting will yield any actual progress and the U.S. State Department has expressed rather subdued expectations about the prospect for a breakthrough. This seems appropriate, given that Iranian officials demonstrated no change in tone whatsoever ahead of the talks. In a preliminary virtual meeting on Friday, Iran\u2019s nuclear negotiator and former Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Abbas Araqchi, downplayed the value of any forthcoming negotiations, saying they were necessary to determine which course of action should be taken on each side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. can return to the deal and stop breaching the law in the same way it withdrew from the deal and imposed illegal sanctions on Iran,\u201d Araqchi said, apparently reiterating the intransigent position previously taken by other officials.<\/p>\n

The U.S. has made the opposite demand, signaling that it is willing to suspend the sanctions, but only after Iran resumes compliance with the deal that laid the groundwork for sanctions relief in the first place.<\/p>\n

When one looks closely at the Iranian regime\u2019s behavior during this period of elevated tensions, it is fairly easy to conclude that the U.S. administration would be better off sticking to its guns and insisting upon Iran\u2019s full and verifiable compliance with the JCPOA<\/a> as a precondition for any relief from economic sanctions. Still, the administration\u2019s openness to compromise should serve as a reminder to its European allies regarding what their role should be in the forthcoming negotiations.<\/p>\n

That is to say, the mission of the European Union, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom should not be to outline a path to re-implementation that is acceptable to the Iranian regime. Instead, it should be to apply diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime to stop its nuclear blackmail. Intransigence has been the Iranian regime\u2019s approach throughout this process and if that is taken seriously as a starting position, it will only lead to Tehran being rewarded for what amounts to nuclear blackmail.<\/p>\n

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Iranian opposition reveals new details about Tehran\u2019s illicit nuclear program - March 2, 2021<\/div><\/div>
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