WASHINGTON – Jamal Abdi, President of the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement regarding the reportedly constructive negotiations in Vienna, Austria this week aimed at restoring full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):
“This week marked the beginning of a turning of the page on Trump’s disastrously failed Iran policy that isolated the U.S. from our former negotiating partners and left Biden with a snowballing nuclear crisis. We are pleased that reports indicate the technical talks this week were constructive and results oriented, and that the parties will reconvene within a week to continue their important work.
“The path to restoring the JCPOA’s strong nonproliferation safeguards and effective sanctions relief may be fraught, but the steps are clear. The U.S. needs to put Trump sanctions inconsistent with the deal on the table, including those imposed to block a return to the agreement. Similarly, while the U.S. should be willing to move first, it would not be reasonable for any party to insist on the other taking all the moves up front. Flexibility on sequencing will be key.
“The JCPOA survived a withering assault of Trump-era sanctions precisely because it remains strongly in the interest of all the parties that negotiated it, including the U.S. and Iran. Having come so far, no party can afford to let it slip away now. Resealing the deal will help stave off a nuclear crisis and cool regional tensions, as well as open a path for the people of Iran to secure sorely needed sanctions relief and connect with the global economy. We encourage all parties to build on this momentum and finalize the pathway back to the agreement.”
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
