The United States responded Wednesday to Iran’s suggestions to revive a 2015 nuclear deal torn apart by former President Donald Trump and whose revival now appears to be gaining momentum.
Only a few weeks after the text seemed dead, the European Union (EU) proposed on August 8, as a final formula, to ease sanctions on Iran and allow it to sell oil in exchange for reducing its nuclear program.
Iran last week proposed changes to which the United States formally responded on Wednesday, a day after Tehran accused its enemy of causing obstruction.
Iran, the US and the EU confirmed Washington’s response, but none immediately discussed it in depth.
“We welcome Iran’s comments on the final text proposed by the EU through the EU,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “Our review of those comments has now been completed. Today we have responded to the EU,” he added.
thorough review
The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that it had received responses from the United States at the last minute from the EU “on the outstanding issues in the negotiations for the lifting of sanctions.”
“The thorough review process of the US views has started and the Islamic Republic of Iran will announce its view in this context to the coordinator after completing its review,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani Kanani said.
Israel, an enemy of Iran, raised its voice against it. Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that Tehran will be able to raise billions of dollars that will be used to “destabilize the Middle East … by strengthening Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.”
He added that “he is not by definition against an agreement, but against this agreement.”
Lapid vowed to preserve cooperation with the United States, Israel’s crucial ally, and avoided the confrontational stance of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who openly joined then-President Barack Obama’s Republican rivals in campaigning against the 2015 deal.
Israel’s National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata held talks in Washington. His US counterpart Jake Sullivan told him on Tuesday that Washington is committed to “preserving and strengthening” Israel’s defenses and “ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.”
Attacks in Syria
President Joe Biden took office in 2021 with the goal of reinstating the deal, as he believed it was the best way to limit Iran’s nuclear program, and that Trump’s withdrawal only prompted Iran to speed up its plans.
But for a year and a half, diplomacy crept slowly into the Vienna negotiations, where Iran pressed hard and insisted on dealing only indirectly with US envoy Rob Malley through EU mediators, who went from hotel to hotel.
Faced with opposition from Israel, US Republicans and some Iranian hardliners, both Washington and Tehran have tried to make it appear that their counterparts are offering concessions.
The United States says Iran backed down on a key sticking point: Biden removing the Revolutionary Guards from the list of terror groups.
Biden refused and on Tuesday ordered airstrikes in Syria that appeared to have targeted paramilitaries linked to the Revolutionary Guards, the elite ideological unit of the Iranian clerical regime.
The United States said the attack deliberately avoided casualties. Iran instead said it was a “terrorist” action and that none of the targeted groups are related to Tehran.
