The United States has “privileged the path of diplomacy” with Iran, Biden’s envoy says Nuclear Weapons News

Robert Malley has said that the return of Al Jazeera to the nuclear deal is in the “interest” of the US and Iran, as indirect talks resume in Vienna.

The Biden administration is prioritizing diplomacy in its dealings with Tehran, a U.S. special envoy to Iran told Al Jazeera. Stimulating Iran’s nuclear deal it remains in the “interest” of both countries.

In an interview on Thursday, Robert Malley said that it is still possible to restore a nuclear treaty known as the Integrated Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“We are fully committed to the mutual return of JCPOA compliance,” Malley said. “We believe there is still time to do it if Iran returns and says they are ready to roll up their sleeves and do it.”

His comments came on Thursday when nuclear talks resumed in Vienna, and the U.S. delegation led by Malley was expected to join the negotiations. on the weekend.

Malley and his group are not directly involved in the talks, but through the mediators of the countries that continue to be part of the 2015 agreement – the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France and Germany.

Malley also reiterated Washington’s call for direct negotiations with Tehran, and told Al Jazeera that U.S. negotiators are ready to meet with Iranian diplomats “anytime, anywhere.”

Iran has previously rejected the offer, saying the US has: who retired From an agreement reached in 2018 with Donald Trump under the then president – he is no longer part of the agreement. Tehran is in talks with the signatories of the agreement to the JCPOA committee.

“We’re ready to meet with them face to face,” Malley said. “We think it’s much bigger than indirect negotiations. And we are dealing with something so complex, with so much mistrust, with so much misunderstanding. ”

U.S. and European officials have expressed frustration with Iran’s stance on talks in Vienna last week, accusing Tehran of failing to show seriousness in trying to restore the treaty.

The seventh round of negotiations in progress was the first under the control of the Iranian Conservative Party President Ibrahim Raisi.

Asked about the possibility of a military confrontation with Tehran increasing tension Between Israel and Iran, Malley said: “We are privileging the path of diplomacy. We believe it is the best way. It’s the best for us. We think it’s the best thing for Iran, but Iran has to decide. “

Trump left the unilateral JCPOA in 2018 and launched a “maximum pressure” campaign against the Iranian economy that Joe Biden continued to impose on his successor Joe Biden.

Tehran has stepped up its program in response to Washington’s withdrawal from the treaty.

Iranian officials say they want to all penalties they were immediately removed, while the U.S. administration demanded an end to nuclear sanctions and a reciprocal return on compliance that would lead to a reduction in Iran’s nuclear program.

The Biden administration reported on Tuesday new penalties Against Iran’s two security agencies and various officials linked to them, citing human rights violations.

This led to a rebuke from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, who said on Twitter that “doubling the sanctions will not create a lever, except for seriousness and goodwill.”

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Thursday that the only way for Iran to lift sanctions is to return to complying with the nuclear JCPOA, however.

Malley reiterated that the US was “ready to return to the agreement as soon as possible, as soon as Iran.”

“Then we would remove all sanctions that do not comply with the JCPOA. But in the meantime, we can’t stand and be ready for a world where Iran can decide to delay the program. [and] Try to build more levers, ”he said.

“It simply came to our notice then. And so that’s what we’re doing. We are preparing for that result. ”