Iran's Ambassador to London Mohsen Baharvand told BBC that he would have addressed the Western negotiators if he were participating in the Vienna talks: "If you're worried about time, start lifting sanctions. At least, show us that you're serious; we don't trust in you."
The second phase of the seventh round of talks in Vienna, Austria, to remove sanctions and return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal has been kicked off on Thursday. The European troika (Britain, France and Germany), who follow the United States' stances on Iran, have been trying to put the blame on Iranians with the aim of derailing the process of Vienna talks in favor of the White House.
Top diplomats from the E3 ignored the negative impact of the US on implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and claimed that Iran hinders progress in talks for reviving the deal.
The Western diplomats also alleged that they have put pressure on Iran to be rational, but they have not been successful in entering a real negotiation, claiming that they are losing precious time to revive the nuclear accord.
They further assert that a draft for returning to the JCPOA was prepared in summer, while neglecting violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 by the United States.
The Europeans described Iran's approach as disappointing, and warned that due to lack of instant progress in the Vienna talks and given the speed of developing Iranians' nuclear program, the JCPOA would turn into a vain agreement.
But the fact is that the JCPOA, which was inked after 13 years of international negotiations and endorsed by the UN Security Council, was ripped up by the Trump administration in May 2018.
Then, the US re-imposed sanctions on Iran and threatened other countries and companies against any financial and trade ties with the Islamic Republic. Europe has done nothing tangible to make amend for the US's violation of the JCPOA; then, after around one year Iran scaled back from its commitments under the deal. Now, the ball is in the Biden administration's court to lift anti-Iran bans and stop the so-called maximum pressure on Iranians.
Baharvand also emphasized that the US should lift sanctions; then, Iran would be ready to discuss returning to the JCPOA.
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