Sullivan: US seeks to form a united front against Iran

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday, November 24, that the US government is seeking coordination with three European countries to form a "united front" against Iran.

Jake Sullivan, in response to a question about the US President's European trip, said that Joe Biden will discuss Iran with his European partners, namely Britain, France, and Germany, the three countries involved in the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The White House national security adviser added that part of the reason the President (Joe Biden) wants to use the opportunity to coordinate closely with his European partners, especially with the three European countries that are part of the negotiations, is so that we have a united front after four years of differences on Iran policy under the previous (US) administration.

Jake Sullivan further emphasized that returning to the JCPOA revival talks in Vienna, the capital of Austria, is a top priority for the US government.

In response to the question of when you will decide to seek alternative plans to the JCPOA, the White House National Security Advisor said: "We are concerned and alert to the steps they have taken since withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Jake Sullivan added, "There were significant and fundamental restrictions on their nuclear program under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We had restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, and now we don't have those restrictions because we no longer have that agreement."

The White House national security adviser, however, said, "We believe there is still an opportunity to resolve this (issue) diplomatically."

So far, six rounds of talks to revive the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have been held in Vienna, the capital of Austria, with the participation of Iran, Russia, Britain, France, Germany, and China, and the indirect participation of the United States. However, following Ebrahim Raisi's victory in the presidential election, these talks were suspended at Iran's request.

On the same day, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani arrived in Brussels to discuss previous JCPOA negotiations with the European Coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission.

In this context, Lawrence Norman, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, wrote that three European countries have suggested to Ali Bagheri Kani that they hold a joint meeting to expedite the negotiations, but he has rejected the offer.

The United States had previously announced that Iran's talks with the European coordinator of the JCPOA revival talks would not replace the Vienna talks.

Robert Malley, the US special envoy for Iran, said on Monday that the answers to Iran's questions lie in Vienna, not Brussels.

Robert Malley had said that America's patience with Iran's approach to returning to the Vienna talks was running out, and Tehran's arguments to justify the delay in resuming these talks were very weak.

Despite Iranian government officials saying in recent weeks that negotiations to revive the JCPOA will resume "soon," they have not yet set a specific time for a return to these negotiations.

Source: Radio Farda