TEHRAN (Iran News) –Iran roundly rejected reports that it and the United States are reaching an “interim deal” that foresees some sanction relief for the Islamic Republic in exchange for changes in the country’s peaceful nuclear energy program.
Iran’s UN mission made the remarks on Thursday after the London-based Middle East Eye (MEE) news and analysis website claimed that the countries were close to clinching such a deal amid the stagnation of talks on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA was reached in 2015 between Iran and world countries, including the United States. It enabled limited sanction relief for the Islamic Republic, which, in turn, volunteered to change some aspects of its nuclear work.
The U.S., however, left the agreement in 2018 under former president Donald Trump, returning all the sanctions that the deal had lifted.
Negotiations to revive the agreement started in April 2021. The talks have, however, stalled amid Washington’s refusal to offer guarantees that it would not ditch the deal again.
“There is no interim deal [meant] to replace the JCPOA,” said the Iranian mission to the United Nations, adding that no such agreement is on the agenda.
Also on Thursday, a White House National Security Council spokesman similarly rejected the MEE report, calling it false and misleading.
Trump’s successor Joe Biden has alleged an interest in returning the US to the JCPOA. Biden’s administration has, however, not only stopped short of taking any measures that could lift the talks out of its current impasse but has also imposed many rounds of its own sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Mohsen Naziri Asl, Iran’s permanent representative at the United Nations office in Vienna, touched upon the United States’ self-proclaimed desire to return to the JCPOA on Wednesday. “Despite the arduous negotiations that lasted for more than 18 months, mainly due to the lack of American political will and determination, we could not bring the talks to a conclusion,” he said.
Some media outlets claimed that negotiations have made significant headway and the two sides have reached an agreement on a temporary deal to take to their respective superiors, the sources said.
Under the terms of the deal, Iran would commit to ceasing its 60 percent-and-beyond uranium enrichment activities and would continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the monitoring and verification of its nuclear program.
In exchange, the sources said, Tehran would be allowed to export up to a million barrels of oil per day and gain access to its income and other frozen funds abroad.
Those funds would have to be exclusively used to purchase a range of essential items, including food and medication.
In addition to the bilateral talks between Iran and the US, Qatar has emerged as a facilitator, offering its assistance in resolving banking-related issues that have emerged as a significant point of contention.
Reacting to this report, both Tehran and Washington rejected it and called it baseless.
