US and Iran Agree to Indirect Talks to Revive Nuclear Deal

Officials will meet in Vienna next week to work out a road map on a US return to the deal
Posted on egories

Negotiations on how to bring the US back into compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, will begin in Vienna next week. While US and Iranian officials will attend the talks, there will be no direct communication between the two countries.
The decision to meet in Vienna was decided on Friday during virtual talks between Iran and officials representing the remaining JCPOA participants; Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany.
The EU released a statement after Friday’s talks announcing the plans to meet in person in Vienna. “Participants agreed to resume this session of the Joint Commission in Vienna next week, in order to clearly identify sanctions lifting and nuclear implementation measures, including through convening meetings of the relevant expert groups,” the statement said.
The US and Iran confirmed the plan. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the negotiations were “a healthy step forward,” but said, “These remain early days, and we don’t anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead.”
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‘Disappointing start’: US progressive Ro Khanna criticises Biden’s Iran policy

Key Democratic congressman urges Biden administration to end Trump’s maximum pressure campaign and return to nuclear deal
ByAli Harb
31 March 2021
Progressive US Congressman Ro Khana criticised the Biden administration’s approach to Iran, decrying what he called a lack of “transformative imagination” in foreign policy as he urged the White House to lift sanctions on Tehran in order to revive the nuclear deal.
Speaking at a virtual event organised by groups advocating for the reimplementation of the nuclear agreement, Khanna said on Wednesday that the “status quo” of the maximum pressure campaign established by former President Donald Trump remains in place.
“Let’s just speak plainly; it has been a disappointing start when it comes to Iran policy from the administration. They should have been already trying to get into this deal,” Khanna said.
As a candidate, President Joe Biden had vowed to return to the nuclear pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions against its economy.
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