US Won’t Lift Sanctions before Ensuring Iran Respects Nuclear Commitments

The Iran Nuclear Deal Joint Commission resumed on Thursday the second round of talks in Vienna.

The indirect talks involve the remaining parties to the deal – Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain – and are chaired by the European Union.

They are aimed at ensuring the US returns to the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and lifts sanctions that were reimposed after its pullout and Iran roll back breaches of its nuclear restrictions.

According to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, “the United States is not going to lift sanctions unless we have clarity and confidence that Iran will fully return to compliance with its obligations under the deal.”

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he pointed out that the talks in Vienna are “constructive” so far, “meaning that all issues related to Iran’s nuclear program and what is necessary for the US to rejoin the deal were on the table.”

“What is being pursued and discussed in Vienna is presentation of a clear and transparent image on lifting sanctions,” Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Kazem Gharib Abadi told IRNA.

“Identifying and listing the steps to remove sanctions are necessary to examine how serious Washington is in its claim about being willing to return to and fully honor the JCPOA, and to check whether it fits [Iran’s] declared policy,” he explained.

Gharib Abadi stressed that Iranian negotiators act in accordance with the country’s principles set out by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has demanded that sanctions be first lifted.