Raisi made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, in which the two sides also discussed bilateral ties.
Raisi said the U.S. indecisiveness is the main problem hindering the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, stressing that it was Washington, not Tehran, that pulled out of the agreement.
Iran has never left the negotiating table and is quite prepared for achieving a “good and fair” agreement, he said, noting that given the U.S. record and previous behavior, Tehran’s demand for guarantees of the other side’s continued commitment to a potential agreement is completely “logical.”
Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.
The talks on the JCPOA’s revival began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington. The latest round of the nuclear talks was held in the Austrian capital in early August after a five-month hiatus.
On Aug. 8, the EU put forward its final text of the draft decision on reviving the JCPOA. Iran and the United States later indirectly exchanged views on the EU proposal in a process that has so far failed to produce any favorable outcome.
UNI/XINHUA
