Iran must drop demands beyond JCPOA, Price once again claims

"I think anyone who speaks either to our European allies or to representatives of this government will of course hear otherwise. We and our European allies have made very clear we are prepared to immediately conclude and implement the deal negotiated in Vienna for a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA, but it is ultimately up to Iran to decide to drop demands that go beyond the JCPOA and to engage in good faith. That is a choice that only Tehran will be able to make," Ned Price claimed, speaking at a news conference.

Ned Price's claims came in response to a question raised by reporters about Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibazadeh who said on Tuesday that the reason for the current pause in the Vienna talks is because the US has not responded to Iran and Europe’s initiatives.

"Vienna talks is still within reach if Iran makes that political decision to engage in good faith and to focus on the JCPOA itself," Price repeated his claims, without referring to US inaction towards JCPOA revival.

Khatibzadeh in response to a question about the Vienna talks on the revival of the JCPOA said that Iran’s measures were clear, but the US has failed to provide Iran with expected answers.

If the US takes its political decision, there will be no stalemate and the outstanding issues will be solved, the diplomat added.

This comes as Russia's Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based International Organizations Ulyanov said in a tweet on Tuesday "The #ViennaTalks on #JCPAOA remain on pause since March 10. According to mass media reports, Iran during the recent visit of the #EU Coordinator to Tehran demonstrated certain degree of flexibility and now waits for a response from the US side. The ball is in #Washington’s court," wrote Russia's Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based International Organizations Ulyanov in a tweet on Tuesday.

"We and our European allies have made very clear we are prepared to immediately conclude and implement the deal negotiated in Vienna for a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA, but it is ultimately up to Iran to decide to drop demands that go beyond the JCPOA and to engage in good faith"

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said in some remarks on Monday that the US is the biggest “destroyer of the international order” and that it only adheres to the concepts of “American exceptionalism” and the “America-centric theory.”

Negotiations to remove anti-Iranian sanctions in Vienna have been stalled for about two months. Since the beginning of the talks, the US government has repeatedly tried to accuse other JCPOA parties of slowing down and obstructing the talks, instead of proposing practical initiatives to advance the talks.

One of the reasons for the failure of the American parties to take the necessary steps in the Vienna talks is the opposition of US congresspersons to the Biden administration's policies regarding JCPOA.

RHM/PR