UN Secretary-General Guterres discusses nuclear deal with Iranian President Raisi

UN, 23 September – RIA Novosti. UN Secretary-General António Guterres met with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi to discuss the nuclear deal. informs UN press office.

“The Secretary General met with IRI President Ibrahim Raisi,” the report said.

The Secretary-General stressed the importance of reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and called for “more flexibility to reach an agreement.”

In 2015, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, France and Iran signed a nuclear agreement – the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program, which includes lifting sanctions in exchange for limiting Iran’s nuclear program. In May 2018, the United States under Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and reimposed sanctions against Tehran. In response, Iran announced that it was gradually reducing its obligations under the agreement, waiving restrictions on nuclear research, centrifuges and the level of uranium enrichment.

As a result of the negotiations on the renewal of the JCPOA and the lifting of Washington’s sanctions against Tehran in Vienna in December 2021, the parties agreed on two draft agreements, including the positions of the European side of Iran. The Iranian side considered the negotiations successful, but the US State Department rated the progress in Vienna as modest, urging Tehran to take the matter seriously. With the return of the representatives of the parties to their capitals at the end of March 2022, the negotiations, which the Iranian Foreign Ministry blamed on the American administration, were suspended. The next round of JCPOA negotiations took place in Doha on 29-30 June.

On August 22, Iran sent its head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, in its response to the proposed text of the draft agreement on the restoration of the Iranian nuclear deal, and also expressed his opinion on the “remaining issues” in the negotiations. The EU described Iran’s response to the nuclear deal proposal as constructive and said it was consulting with the United States on next steps. The Iranian side received a response from the United States on 24 August. Evaluation of US government comments is ongoing.