Decision to return to nuclear talks is in US hands: Marandi

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Al Mayadeen Net

December 20, 2022

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/decision-to-return-to-nuclear-talks-is-in-us-hands:-marandi

The advisor to the Iranian delegation negotiating the nuclear file says the negotiations between Tehran and the IAEA indicate a possible solution, but the decision is political.

Seyed Mohammad Marandi, the advisor to the Iranian negotiating delegation in the nuclear talks, said on Monday that Iran is waiting to find out if the Americans will return to the nuclear agreement.

In an interview for Al Mayadeen, Marandi said the negotiations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicate the possibility of a solution, but the decision is political.

According to the Iranian official, Iran has no problem with the Europeans, the Russians, and the Chinese. Rather, the problem lies in the American position.

Marandi indicated that the decision regarding returning to the nuclear agreement in the West is in the hands of the Americans, not the Europeans.

Regarding Iran's ability to manufacture nuclear weapons, Marandi made it clear that his country does not want that, stressing that the Israeli occupation is not in a position to inflict significant damage on the peaceful Iranian nuclear project.

The Iranian diplomat had previously told Al Mayadeen Net that Russia stands with the rightful demands of the Iranian side, pointing out that the solution lies in the United States taking positive steps to resolve this issue.

He also noted that Russia considers the nuclear file completely separate from the war in Ukraine and will not allow these two files to be linked together.

Marandi pointed out that all the sanctions recently announced by the West on Iran will have no effect, explaining that all the targeted organizations and bodies have been on the sanctions list for a long time and that the repetition of these sanctions is fruitless.

The Iranian advisor touched on the Ukraine war, affirming that the conflict has nothing to do with the nuclear agreement.

He also stressed that NATO's responsibility for what is happening in Ukraine is greater than the responsibility of others.

Earlier, the head of the Iranian Strategic Council for Foreign Relations, Kamal Kharazi, reiterated Iran's readiness to return to its commitments in the nuclear agreement.

According to Kharazi, Iran has reached a point of having 19,000 centrifuges, forcing the West to take the initiative of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), stressing that Tehran today still has high potential but does not intend to produce atomic bombs.

Iran, Germany, and the five permanent UN Security Council members negotiated the JCPOA in 2015. The United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under the Trump administration, causing Iran to suspend the deal.

On-off talks to revive the JCPOA started in April last year, but the indirect talks between the US and Iran have stalled for several months with Iran facing Western-led riots.

Since the beginning of talks on reviving the nuclear agreement, Tehran has been calling on: guarantees that the US will not withdraw from the agreement, lifting unlawful sanctions on Iran, in addition to closing the file of political allegations made by the IAEA.