After a virtual meeting with Britain, Germany, and France, also known as E3, the United States said on Thursday that it was ready to attend talks with Iran and other major countries to discuss the Iran nuclear issue.
Iran on the same day noted the important role of the European Union (EU) in brokering the high-profile 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but also asked the United States to show its sincerity by taking the first step to solve their impasse.
“The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear program,” American State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the Iran nuclear issue with his counterparts from Britain, Germany, and France in a virtual meeting.
The joint statement by the four foreign policy chiefs expressed concerns over Iran’s recent actions to produce both uranium enriched up to 20 percent and uranium metal, calling on Tehran not to limit the verification of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The statement also indicated that Washington is ready to engage with Tehran over JCPOA.
“The E3 welcomed the United States’ stated intention to return to diplomacy with Iran as well as the resumption of a confident and in-depth dialogue between the E3 and the United States,” said the statement, adding that Washington and its European allies would consult the issue with China and Russia, which are among the P5+1 countries.
China has welcomed the U.S. return to the JCPOA, saying it is the only right way to break the Iran nuclear deadlock.
“All parties should act with greater urgency, work together to implement the consensus reached at the foreign ministers’ meeting last December, and push for the unconditional return of the United States to the JCPOA as early as possible and lift all sanctions against Iran,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Thursday, while calling on Iran to resume full compliance with the JCPOA.
In eyes of Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert and director of Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, the U.S. move is “a good start” acting in “a multilateral fashion.”
Source : Xinhua
