Diplomats from Germany, Britain and France: Iran's positions contradict the JCPOA agreement

European diplomats negotiating the JCPOA said they failed to achieve real negotiations with Iran and considered Iran's positions to be contrary to the JCPOA. Iran stated that some actors persist in their habit of blaming instead of real diplomacy.

Diplomats from Western European countries (Britain, Germany, and France) who are present in the eighth round of JCPOA nuclear agreement negotiations in Vienna announced on Monday, December 13, that Iran's positions in the JCPOA nuclear agreement negotiations in Vienna are "incompatible" with the terms of the agreement.

"We have been interacting for hours, and all delegations have put pressure on Iran to act rationally," the diplomats say. "But so far, we have not been able to reach real negotiations."

European diplomats also expressed that they consider Iran's new positions to be contrary to the JCPOA nuclear agreement, and that this has caused valuable time to be lost.

A day before the European side's criticism, Iran's chief negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, announced "progress in preparing the agenda" in an interview with the IRNA news agency.

Iran has asked the United States to lift all sanctions imposed during the Trump administration and to pledge that it will not withdraw from the JCPOA again.

Iranian officials insist they are serious about committing to talks, but Western countries have accused Tehran of backing down from a position it took earlier this year.

Iran's response to the European Troika's criticism of the JCPOA 

The Islamic Republic of Iran did not leave the statements of the representatives of Britain, France, and Germany unanswered.

Ali Bagheri tweeted on Tuesday, December 14, about the ongoing talks in Vienna between Iran and the 4+1 group (Germany, France, Britain, China, and Russia): "Some actors insist on their habit of blaming instead of real diplomacy. We quickly presented our proposals and worked constructively and flexibly to reduce differences."

Bagheri further emphasized that diplomacy is a two-way street and wrote that if there is a will to make up for the guilty party's mistake, the path to a good agreement will be quickly paved.

Iranian media reported that Ali Bagheri, however, called the ongoing talks in Vienna "positive and forward-looking."

Last week, US President Joe Biden warned that the country was preparing measures to implement if the talks failed.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke about the US's "possible options" if the current negotiations to revive the JCPOA fail in Vienna.

The eighth round of JCPOA negotiations resumed on Thursday, December 8, after a six-day break.

Source: DW