Page 8 - MEOG Week 14 2022

MEOG POLICY & SECURITY MEOG

Iranian negotiators will only

return to Vienna to relaunch deal

IRAN IRAN made an attempt on April 4 to bring some said an agreement to relaunch the JCPOA was
clarity to the unfinished Vienna talks aimed at “close”.
finding a path for the restoration of the 2015 “We have passed on our proposals on the
nuclear deal - the Iranian representatives, it said, remaining issues to the American side through
would not return to the Austrian capital for fur- the EU senior negotiator and now the ball is in
ther negotiations, they would only turn up to US court,” Iran’s top diplomat said.
finalise an agreement.
Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khati- Export update
bzadeh outlined Iran’s latest position at a news Iran’s oil export volume is running at a level 40%
briefing, AFP reported. higher than was seen a year ago even though
The last steps, he added, could only be made US sanctions aimed at the country’s petroleum
on the basis of political decisions that needed to industry are still in place, official news agency
be taken by the US. Shana on April 3 reported National Iranian Oil
“At the moment, we do not yet have a defini- Co (NIOC) CEO Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr as
tive answer from Washington [on the outstand- saying.
ing issues],” Khatibzadeh said. “If Washington On April 1, Tasnim News Agency reported
answers the outstanding questions, we can go to Oil Minister Javid Owji as stating that Iran’s oil
Vienna as soon as possible.” production, at more than 3.8bn barrels per day
The nuclear deal, or JCPOA, struck between (bpd), had reached pre-sanctions levels.
Iran and six major powers, gave Iran sanctions Iran uses discounts and grey market tactics
relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear pro- aimed at avoiding sanctions enforcers to encour-
gramme to guarantee that Tehran could not age buyer nations to keep accepting its crude oil
develop or acquire an atomic bomb. shipments.
The US made a unilateral withdrawal from China is its main market. Washington is
the accord in 2018 under then-president Don- widely seen as presently and largely standing off
ald Trump, who reimposed swingeing economic on sanctions enforcement on Iranian oil sales
sanctions, That prompted Iran to begin rolling given that Iran and the US are currently attempt-
back on its JCPOA commitments. ing to successfully complete the Vienna talks to
A key outstanding issue in the Vienna talks relaunch the 2015 nuclear deal, or JCPOA.
is Tehran’s demand that the Islamic Revolution- If a JCPOA reinstatement, which would
ary Guard Corps (IRGC) of its armed forces is involve the lifting of US economic sanctions
removed from the US list that designates foreign on Tehran, could be achieved, Iran would be
terrorist organisations, or FTOs. expected to quickly pick up many more ready
On April 3, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein buyers of its crude because various countries are
Amir-Abdollahian, during a phone conversation boycotting Russian oil shipments in response to
with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.™

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 14 06•April•2022