Iraqi FM, US envoy discuss JCPOA negotiations

According to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Al-Sahhaf, Hussein and Malley discussed the recent meeting of the high-ranking officials of the Iraqi delegation with US senior officials, as well as the negotiations on lifting illegal anti-Iran sanctions.

Hussein also touched upon his recent phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and their conversation.

Amir-Abdollahian and Fuad Hussein held a phone conversation on Saturday. The two top diplomats discussed various issues, including Tehran-Baghdad relations, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), and steps related to removing sanctions against Iran.

Robert Malley, for his part, appreciated the continuous efforts of Iraqi diplomacy, especially regarding regional de-escalation.

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. Former US President Donald Trump illegally pulled out of the deal in 2018 while the current US President, Joe Biden, has signaled that he is ready to resurrect the agreement.

The talks to salvage the JCPOA kicked off in the Austrian capital of Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

The negotiations have been at a standstill since August due to Washington’s insistence on its hard-nosed position of not removing all the sanctions that were slapped on the Islamic Republic by the previous US administration. Iran maintains it is necessary for the other side to offer some guarantees that it will remain committed to any agreement that is reached.

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