Biden supports re-fulfilling the nuclear pact with Iran if it respects it

The president of United States, Joe Biden, advanced today its will to return to the nuclear agreement with Iran provided that Tehran respects it, in a meeting with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom in the framework of the G20 summit from Rome.

“We are pleased that President Biden has clearly demonstrated his commitment to return the United States to full compliance with the JCPOA (Iranian nuclear agreement) and to continue to do so in full as long as Iran does the same,” said a joint statement from the powers. .

The nuclear agreement was signed in 2015 between Iran and six major powers (the US, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany), but was unilaterally abandoned in 2018 by Washington, which reimposed sanctions against Tehran.

Asked by journalists in Rome about when he intended to resume negotiations with Iran, Biden replied: “They are scheduled,” after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel. .

The four powers maintained that this negotiated solution is only possible if “Iran changes course” and therefore asked Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to “seize this opportunity” and support “in good faith” the urgent closure of the negotiations.

“That is the only sure way to avoid a dangerous escalation, which is not in the interest of any country,” said Biden, Johnson, Macron and Merkel, who welcomed the diplomatic efforts of their Gulf partners to reduce tensions.

The agreement sanctioned in 2015 limited the Iranian atomic program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, so the US decision to reintroduce punitive measures in 2018, in the era of Donald Trump, left it very weakened.

Last April, negotiations began in Vienna with six great powers, including the United States indirectly, to achieve Washington’s return to the pact and for Iran to comply with the agreement again, but they were suspended with the arrival to power in August of Raisí. .

The leaders meeting in Rome expressed their desire that Iran “never” be able to develop a nuclear weapon and shared their concern that, after exiting negotiations in June, Iran “has accelerated the pace of provocative nuclear steps.”

Among these, the production of highly enriched uranium or less transparency and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which makes it difficult to return to negotiations, they argued.

“The current situation underscores the importance of a negotiated solution that provides the return of Iran and the United States to full compliance with the JCPOA and provides the basis for an ongoing diplomatic engagement to resolve the remaining points of contention, both our concerns and those of Iran.” , they settled.

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