America's Restrained Response to Proposal to Return to the JCPOA
Following the Iranian Foreign Minister's suggestion that the European Union play a mediating role in getting the US back into the JCPOA, a US State Department spokesperson said that the time has not yet come to consider such a proposal.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department, said on Tuesday, February 2, in response to the proposal by Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, regarding the role of the European Union as a mediator for the two sides to return to the nuclear agreement: "The US government will first consult with international allies and then with Congress on this matter."
Price added: "After these consultations, we will reach a point where we can engage directly with the Iranians."
On the other hand, the European Union, in a letter to the US government on Tuesday, called for "reducing sanctions" to continue the JCPOA.
Peter Stano, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, said Brussels was “working hard to save the JCPOA.” He added: “We are in talks with the US administration to see if the sanctions can be lifted? Can the JCPOA be fully implemented again?”
Observers also considered the Pentagon's announcement to withdraw the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz from the waters of the Persian Gulf after nine months as a sign of America's efforts to "de-escalate tensions."
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby declined to comment on the matter, but said: "The new US administration no longer considers the use of the USS Nimitz necessary for security reasons."
Source: DW
