Blinken in Call with Lavrov: Time for JCPOA Revival is Limited

During his telephone conversation with Lavrov, Blinken also warned that the window of opportunity for reviving the JCPOA is closing and time is running out.

This is not the first time the U.S. Secretary of State has raised this issue.

Blinken had also warned on Thursday, September 29 (October 8 on the Persian calendar), “Time is running out for the Islamic Republic to return to the nuclear agreement. The responsibility lies with Iran, and the ball is now in Iran’s court.”

Blinken said President Joe Biden is willing to bring the United States back to the 2015 agreement. Under this agreement, the Islamic Republic had reduced its nuclear activities in exchange for economic promises.

The Vienna talks, which are referred to as “JCPOA revival negotiations,” have been stalled since the end of Hassan Rouhani’s administration and have not resumed despite Ibrahim Raisi coming to power.

The prolonged delay in the Islamic Republic’s return to Vienna talks has intensified concerns among Western countries, as Iran has simultaneously accelerated its nuclear activities while postponing the negotiation dates.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced that the telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of Russia and the United States took place at Antony Blinken’s initiative, and the two sides discussed the JCPOA and several other matters of mutual interest during the call.

Concurrent with this telephone conversation, Lavrov was hosting his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Moscow.

The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic said about Iran’s return to Vienna talks: “We consulted with Lavrov on this matter and I emphasized that after concluding our assessments, we will soon resume the Vienna talks.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister did not comment on Lavrov’s telephone conversation with Blinken.