The Iranians are clearly getting irritated at the Biden administration’s demand that Iran return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) before the U.S. will lift sanctions. “Biden administration officials keep talking about Iran’s compliance with JCPOA. In what capacity?” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a Feb. 11 post on his Twitter account. “U.S. ceased participation in May 2018, violated JCPOA & punished those complying with UN resolution. As of today, U.S. remains in EXACTLY the same position,” he added. “Before spouting off, COMPLY,” the Iranian foreign minister said in response to the American officials.
The Russians are also getting irritated though using more diplomatic language. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow yesterday that Russia hopes that there may be a compromise on Iran’s nuclear deal before Feb. 21, when Tehran is expected to further ease restrictions on its nuclear program, reported Tasnim News. “There isn’t a lot of time, considering that on Feb. 21, in accordance with the law adopted by Iran, the country will take the next step toward reducing its obligations, which were accepted voluntarily. It would be good to find some compromise that would help avoid further escalation before that deadline,” Ryabkov told a press conference.
The priority is to reverse Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA as well as U.S. sanctions against Iran, Ryabkov continued. “It is probably impossible to do it all at once, but it would be wrong to delay. We are openly telling this to Americans.” To avoid arguments over who should act first, it would be reasonable to plan simultaneous actions of Washington and Tehran, he further said. Zarif had proposed in a Feb. 1 interview with CNN that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell could coordinate a simultaneous U.S.-Iranian return to full implementation of the JCPOA, a proposal that was quickly dismissed the next day by the U.S. State Department.
