DM Monitoring
Washington: Senior State Department official said it is “possible” that Iran and the U.S. return to mutual compliance under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of talks in Vienna that are expected to resume Friday, cautioned, however, that “only time will tell” if it is likely to happen.
“This is ultimately a matter of a political decision that needs to be made in Iran,” said the official.
“The United States understands what it needs to do to come back into compliance with the sanctions relief commitments that it made under the JCPOA, we understand what it will take. We also understand what Iran needs to do in order to come back into compliance.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken previously said that the U.S. will return to the nuclear accord after Iran complies.
The Iran nuclear deal was negotiated in 2015 to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
Former President Donald Trump pulled out in May 2018 and reimposed heavy sanctions, plunging oil-rich Iran into an acute economic crisis, more recently exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. In response, Iran has been incrementally violating the terms of the agreement since 2019, including higher uranium enrichment and uranium metal production.
