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The U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal pushed Iran to suspend compliance with its commitments related to maximum ceilings for uranium enrichment.
Iran's President Hasan Rohani on Wednesday urged the United States to remove the sanctions imposed on his country if it is serious about holding a dialogue to save the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
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"The new U.S. administration must immediately stop the economic terrorist operations. Then, the way will be opened and we will sit together and also talk," he said and reminded that the nuclear deal itself is not renegotiable.
"We have reduced our obligations, but we are still committed to the JCPOA and we are trying to protect it", he added.
European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell proposed that the U.S. attend as a guest at an informal meeting with the signatories of the nuclear pact, namely Iran, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
President Joe Biden's administration is willing to return to the JCPOA but demands that Iran comply with its obligations. The Persian nation, however, considers that the U.S. must first lift its sanctions.
"I was impressed to see how Iran has adapted a whole-of-government/society approach in #COVID19 response, using its strong Primary Health Care system. I was also pleased to learn more about national efforts in developing COVID-19 vaccine."-Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari#HealthForAll_ByAll pic.twitter.com/JsCSzVp7LM
— WHO EMRO (@WHOEMRO) February 18, 2021
The negotiations are at a difficult moment because Iran suspended the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows unannounced access by UN atomic agency inspectors to any Iranian nuclear facility.
While that decision is a further blow to the JCPOA, its effects were mitigated by an agreement reached on Sunday between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure the necessary verification for three months.
Besides weakening the multilateral nuclear agreement, the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 pushed Iran to suspend compliance with its commitments related to maximum ceilings for uranium storage and enrichment.
On Tuesday, the IAEA confirmed that Iran now has ten times more uranium than permitted and has increased its use of advanced centrifuges, which are banned in the nuclear deal.
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