Iran says US linked the humanitarian issue with the political talks on the nuclear deal

TEHRAN, (ST)_ Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) was delayed because of the US approach, adding that the talks on the issue would continue after the new administration in Iran took office.

 

Noting that the talk held in Vienna, Austria between Iran and remaining participants of the JCPOA (4+1 countries) moved forward strongly and with high quality in six rounds, Khatibzadeh said that the approach adopted by the US prevented the talks to lead to the reviving of the JCPOA.

 

He made it clear that Iran would resume full compliance to the deal once the US returns to implementing its commitments under the deal and under the UN Security Council Resolution 2231. He added, however, that this was deferred until the new administration in Iran takes office.

 

On the reports that the European participants to the deal have proposed a plan for the JCPOA revival, he said that Iran would accept nothing less than the JCPOA as it expects nothing more than the deal.

 

Prisoner exchange with US and UK

 

Khatibzadeh called the statements made by the US State Department spokesman on the issue ‘astonishing’, underlining that Iran held talks indirectly with the US and the UK in Vienna, separate from the talks on the JCPOA.

 

However, the US linked the humanitarian issue with the political talks on the nuclear deal, according to Khatibzadeh who added that the US decided to postpone the implementation prisoner exchange deal when Iran announced it would continue nuclear talks in the new administration.

 

Source: IRNA