The United States must take the first step in lifting all sanctions / Article / LSM.lv

Iran: The United States must take the first step by lifting all sanctionsUģis Lībietis00:00 / 03:16

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Following the inauguration of the administration of US President Joe Biden, the United States has expressed its desire to renew its membership in the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan, better known as the Iranian Nuclear Agreement.

Attempt to resuscitation

Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, announced his withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, effectively deciding, at least for a while, that the agreement would fail and encourage Iran to step up its nuclear activities.

However, the other parties to the agreement – Iran, China, Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom – had recently met in Vienna, the capital of Austria, to try to revive the nuclear deal and get Washington back.

A US delegation led by the US President’s Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Male, was also in Vienna. However, he did not take part in the talks, as Iran has refused to engage in direct discussions with US representatives until the sanctions imposed during the Trump have been lifted. Male’s statements that Iran’s readiness to return to an Iranian nuclear deal is currently not taken seriously because it is not fulfilling its obligations have been widely criticized on the Iranian side.

Iran is demanding the lifting of all sanctions

Commenting on these statements, Abass Arakchi, Iran’s chief negotiator, emphasized that the proposals of the US representative should not be taken seriously, as the first step was to be taken by the United States.

“We have made our position very clear. What Mr Malaya has said is a lack of seriousness on their part, because it is the United States that has withdrawn from Iran’s nuclear deal and it is they who have imposed sanctions. “

“It is quite understandable that if they want to return to this agreement, they must lift all sanctions. All together, in one go. This is very logical, and it is a legitimate demand of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Only when the US lifts all sanctions imposed, renewed or renamed after January 2017 will Iran be ready to honor all its commitments. “

Frozen money

One of the main demands on Iran is to reduce or suspend its uranium enrichment program. It was also reported that in exchange for the suspension of uranium enrichment, a promise to release $ 1 billion worth of Iranian money frozen in South Korea was made. However, the Iranian representative has rejected such an offer.

The issue of the abolition of all sanctions is also quite controversial, as certain restrictions apply not only to people and companies involved in nuclear activities, but also, for example, to those accused of terrorism and human rights abuses. In addition, Israel, a traditional US ally in the Middle East, continues to express its opposition to any resumption of negotiations with Iran.

However, commenting on the progress of the Vienna talks so far, stakeholders have indicated that the discussions have been constructive and that it is important that at least a first step has been taken. According to Russia’s Mikhail Ulyanov, no one can predict how long these talks will last. The next round of talks in Vienna is expected on Friday.

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