Page 10 - NorthAmOil Week 28 2021

NorthAmOil POLICY NorthAmOil

US President Joe
Biden came to office
in January pledging to
pursue a return to the
JCPOA.

Washington will issue no ultimatums to

Iran over date for new round of talks

US-IRAN WASHINGTON has said that it will not issue brought about by a restored nuclear deal.
ultimatums on the deadline for a seventh round US President Joe Biden came to office in Jan-
of Vienna talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal uary pledging to pursue a return to the JCPOA,
between Iran and major powers, but added that which traded an end to UN and other sanctions US Department
“nuclear advances” made by the Islamic Republic for checks on sensitive Iranian nuclear activities
in the meantime could impact on the decision to ensure they did not venture into the military of State (DoS)
of the US as to whether or not to rejoin the pact. sphere.
US Department of State (DoS) spokesman That deal was abandoned by US President spokesman Ned
Ned Price said that only Tehran could state when Donald Trump in May 2018, in favour of reim-
the talks will continue. “We’re not imposing a posing heavy US sanctions in the push to secure Price said that
deadline on these talks,” Price said, “but...we are a tighter nuclear deal and other geopolitical only Tehran
conscious that as time proceeds Iran’s nuclear goals. The sanctions pushed Iran into a bitter
advances will have a bearing on our view of ulti- recession that lasted nearly three years. could state when
mately returning to the JCPOA [as the nuclear Six rounds of talks in Vienna reportedly
deal is also known].” made progress but yielded no final deal. Russia the talks will
Iran analysts are weighing up if a path to has said an agreement to revive the JCPOA is
restoring the deal might be agreed in the waning 90%-complete. But Iran has continued to step continue.
days of the moderate Rouhani administration, or up uranium-enrichment efforts. If it crosses
if the sealing of an agreement might be delayed a certain line with those activities, the US and
until the hardline Raisi presidency commences European powers might conceivably abandon
in August. The former option would give future the idea of a JCPOA restart.
Raisi officials some scope for blaming the pre- Tehran has consistently denied it is pur-
decessor administration should a relaunched suing nuclear weapons, but the UN nuclear
JCPOA end up badly for Iran, while the latter watchdog IAEA and Western intelligence have
possibility would allow the Raisi government in the past accused it of lying and obfuscating
to take more credit for economic momentum about its objectives.™

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 28 15•July•2021