TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, declared on Saturday that efforts to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal with world powers, have become “increasingly useless.”
Speaking at the University of Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian expressed frustration with the stalled negotiations, emphasizing that Iran’s red lines have been ignored by the other parties involved.
The JCPOA, signed in 2015, saw Iran agreeing to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. However, the deal lost its effectiveness when the United States, under former President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.
Despite tentative efforts by President Joe Biden to revive the agreement, progress has been slow, with discussions at a standstill since mid-2022.
Iran Calls for Respecting Red Lines
Amir-Abdollahian clarified that Iran has not abandoned the agreement but indicated that returning to it is contingent on respecting Iran’s red lines. The foreign minister noted that if the agreement serves Iran’s interests, the country would be willing to accept it with its flaws.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has faced challenges in monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities, and the situation has raised concerns about the potential for Iran to develop nuclear capabilities.
The director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, urged the international community in October not to repeat the failure seen in North Korea, which now possesses nuclear weapons. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.
