The United States on Monday appeared to dismiss a key Iranian demand to salvage a nuclear accord as Tehran blamed Washington for the prolonged impasse.

Iran and the United States have been negotiating indirectly in Vienna for a year to restore the 2015 agreement, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, from which former US president Donald Trump withdrew.

One key sticking point is Iran's insistence on removing the US designation made by Trump that the Revolutionary Guards, the clerical regime's elite military unit with broad reach in the economy, is a terrorist organization.

"If Iran wants sanctions lifting that goes beyond the JCPOA, they'll need to address concerns of ours that go beyond the JCPOA," State Department spokesman Ned Price said when asked about the Revolutionary Guards' blacklisting.

"If they do not want to use these talks to resolve other bilateral issues, then we are confident we can very quickly reach an understanding on the JCPOA and begin to reimplement the deal itself," Price told reporters.

President Joe Biden's administration has offered to return to the agreement, under which Iran was promised sanctions relief for curbing its nuclear program, but has voiced frustration at the slow pace of negotiations.

In Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that more than one issue was pending between Iran and the United States.

"Messages (from Washington) sent through (European Union coordinator Enrique) Mora these past weeks... are far from providing solutions that could lead to an accord," he told reporters.

"The United States are responsible for these delays, because they are taking their time to give replies" that would be suitable for Iran, he said.

Mora, who coordinates the indirect US-Iran talks, visited Tehran last month for talks with Iranian officials and later went to Washington, saying he hoped to close the gaps in negotiations.

Trump reimposed sweeping sanctions, including demanding other nations not buy Iran's oil, as he withdrew from the agreement negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.

Iran, in response, began rolling back on most of its commitments under the accord.

US officials have warned that Iran's advances could eventually make a return to the JCPOA pointless, with Tehran's regional adversary Israel repeatedly warning of military action if the clerical state is seen as close to a bomb.

Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia remain in the JCPOA.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Iran starts production at centrifuge component workshop
Vienna (AFP) April 14, 2022
Iran has started making components for machines used to enrich uranium at a new workshop in Natanz, the country's main nuclear site, the UN atomic watchdog said Thursday. The new workshop replaces a nuclear facility in Karaj, near Tehran, after an attack there last year, which Iran said was an act of sabotage. On Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) completed installing surveillance cameras at the new site and removed the seals from the machines to produce components of centrif ... read more