Moscow, May 23 (Agency) Iran is ready to continue the Vienna-hosted talks on the 2015 nuclear deal until a final agreement is achieved for the United States to lift sanctions, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday. “Considering the past negotiations, they clearly stated their readiness to lift the sanctions in line with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA]. We are ready to continue the negotiations until a final agreement is reached,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by his office.
The JCPOA was signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, stipulating the removal of international sanctions from Tehran in exchange for it scaling down its nuclear program. In 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by gradually abandoning its own commitments toward complete withdrawal unless sanctions are lifted. The talks in Vienna began in April, shortly after the change of government in the US. Three working commissions are negotiating the lift of sanctions, the return of Tehran and Washington to the deal, and the timing thereof. They were expected to wrap up the talks by the end of May.