VIENNA, Apr 30 (NNN-XINHUA) – The negotiations on getting the United States and Iran to resume compliance with the historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), entered their fourth week in Vienna.
The international community is longing for a major breakthrough in the negotiations. Washington, if sincere in its intent to return to the pact, should act first, given its decision to unilaterally withdraw from the JCPOA and apply maximum pressure on Iran thereafter, setting off the current crisis.
Elaborating on his country’s logic for returning to the nuclear agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier, “The United States, which caused this crisis, should return to full compliance first.”
The U.S. administration, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the JCPOA in May, 2018, and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments, from May, 2019.
Therefore, in the quest for some real progress, Washington must take the first step, by lifting all illegal unilateral sanctions against Iran.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, said earlier that, the United States must “lift all sanctions” before any progress can be made.
His view is also shared by Russia and China, which have repeatedly urged the United States to immediately and completely lift the sanctions.
Removing all illegal unilateral sanctions is “the key to the success of the negotiations,” said Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organisations, in Vienna.
“All parties must continue to focus on and resolve this core issue first. At the same time, the Joint Commission should also consider how to verify the U.S. lifting of sanctions,” Wang added.
Attended by representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran, the meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission began on Apr 6.
The one who began the trouble should end it. The negotiations have entered a crucial stage, and steps by the United States are of paramount importance to the fate of the historic nuclear deal and future stability of the region and the world.
It is time for Washington to shoulder its global responsibility by taking the first step towards a breakthrough in the nuclear talks.
