In an exclusive interview with IRNA on Saturday, Wolfgan Gerstl, the head of Austria-Iran parliamentary friendship group, said that the talks in Vienna to revive the Iran nuclear deal are "very complex" but have no alternative and Austria and its partners in EU have always called for preserving and fully implementing the agreement.
Iran and the P4+1, namely China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK, have been holding talks in the Austrian capital for almost a year now to remove US sanctions against Iran and have Washington return to the 2015 deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or simply the JCPOA.
Gerstl underlined that his country, Austria, have therefore appealed to the United States to return to the JCPOA.
The US, an initial member of the JCPOA, pulled out of the deal in 2018, leaving the remaining participants in struggle with implementing it.
The JCPOA is "an important pillar of the international non-proliferation architecture and contributes to international security," the Austrian lawmaker said, adding that preserving this agreement means respecting international agreements and guaranteeing more security and stability in the Middle East.
Asked about his evaluation of the US unilateral pull-out of the JCPOA in 2018 and keeping the course after the new administration took office, he said that the current US administration expressed its determination to return to the nuclear agreement and to lift the nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Iran by the previous administration under the condition that Iran also complies with its obligations.
The Austrian MP described the US' will to rejoin the JCPOA as “a very good step forward” and said that the next days would be crucial for reviving implementation of the deal.
He said that the talks in Vienna were in a critical phase and while some differences remain, Austria hopes for their swift conclusion.
Gerstl also had a “very good” evaluation of bilateral ties between Iran and Austria, saying that there is trust and predictability characterized by a wide range of contacts both at governmental and non-governmental level and also at parliamentary level.
He said that as the head of Austria-Iran parliamentary friendship group, he would continue efforts to keep the good and active relationship with Iran, adding that an Iranian parliamentary delegation was expected to visit Austria later this year.
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