JCPOA Joint Commission Talks Extended to Next Week
The fifth round of political negotiations between representatives of countries involved in the 2015 nuclear agreement has dragged on longer than expected. It is reported that the continuation of negotiations has been postponed to June 10. The fifth round was referred to as the final round.
The continuation of the fifth round of negotiations of the JCPOA Joint Commission is scheduled to resume on Thursday, June 10 in Vienna. The news of the postponement of these negotiations was reported by two informed sources on Wednesday, June 2 (June 11 by Persian calendar).
Prior to this, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative, had announced that all participants in the JCPOA Joint Commission meeting view the fifth round of talks as the final round.
Now the published reports are less optimistic. Hassan Rouhani announced on Wednesday, June 11 during a cabinet meeting that fundamental issues between Iran and the United States have been resolved.
This is while Abbas Araghchi, the political deputy of Iran’s Foreign Ministry who heads the Iranian delegation in JCPOA negotiations, has expressed doubt about reaching an agreement before Iran’s presidential elections. Iran’s presidential elections will be held on June 28.
It is reported that the reason for postponing the continuation of the fifth round of JCPOA Joint Commission negotiations in Vienna is a report released on Monday by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the IAEA, announced that the Islamic Republic has not yet provided sufficient information to the Agency regarding uranium traces at two undeclared sites.
Following the United States’ withdrawal from the nuclear agreement in 2018, the Islamic Republic of Iran has also gradually reduced its JCPOA commitments.
Joe Biden, the current U.S. president, although favors the United States’ return to the nuclear agreement, has made the lifting of sanctions on Iran conditional on Iran’s return to JCPOA commitments and negotiations regarding Iran’s missile program and the Islamic Republic’s destabilizing role in the region.
Following the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility, the Islamic Republic of Iran has proceeded to increase uranium enrichment to 60 percent, which has only military applications.
Source: DW
