Macron says JCPOA revival still possible

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his disappointment to his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raeisi at the lack of progress over talks on the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Saturday.

This is while the Iranian President a 120-minute phone call with Macron condemned the non-constructive measures and positions of the United States and European countries against Iran and said, "Issuing a resolution in the [International] Atomic Energy Agency was a crisis-stirring move aimed at creating pressure against the Iranian nation, which undermined political trust."

Raeisi underlined the need for Iran to be able to reap the economic benefits of the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), through a potential revival of the multilateral accord, which the US abandoned unilaterally three years after its conclusion.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that reaching an agreement [on the JCPOA revival] hinges on the full resolution of safeguard issues and the provision of necessary guarantees, including continued adherence of the parties to the agreement and fulfillment of the economic interests of the Iranian nation," the Iranian President said.

According to the Elysee Palace statement, the French leader urged President Raeisi to make a "clear choice" to reach a deal and go back to the implementation of Iran's commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Macron said he was convinced that such an outcome was still possible but that it should take place "as soon as possible," the French presidency said.

It came as Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA had held several rounds of negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna since April last year to restore the agreement, which was abandoned by former US President Donald Trump in May 2018.

In quitting the agreement, Trump restored sanctions on Iran as part of what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign against the country. Those sanctions are being enforced to this day by the Joe Biden administration, even though it has repeatedly acknowledged that the policy has been a mistake and a failure.

Meanwhile, Iran and the US concluded two days of indirect talks, mediated by the European Union, in the Qatari capital of Doha, late in July in an attempt to break the stalemate in reviving the JCPOA.

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