US’ Refusal to Ensure Iran’s Economic Benefits Hampers Doha Talks

Shafaq News/ The major obstacle in the way of the latest round of negotiations for saving the 2015 nuclear deal is the US’ insistence on a previous plan that would place restrictions on Iran without securing its economic benefits under the JCPOA, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The meetings between Iran’s lead negotiator Ali Baqeri and European Union deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora, which were held in Doha on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the fresh round of negotiations over the removal of anti-Iran sanctions, will come to an end today.

According to the sources familiar with the negotiations, Iran has once again stressed the need to strike a sustainable agreement in the Doha talks, which were held indirectly between Iran and the US with the European Union working as a mediator and passing on the messages.

What has blocked the achievement of results in the new round of talks is reportedly the American side’s insistence on a plan it had proposed during the seventh round of the Vienna talks, which excludes any guarantee that Iran will enjoy economic benefits. In fact, Washington seeks to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in order to put restrictions on Iran without allowing Tehran to gain any economic benefit.

Because of the Biden administration’s weakness and its inability to make a final decision, the Doha meeting, by now, was not effective in making progress in negotiations and the revival of the JCPOA, which requires the US to agree on Iran’s red lines when it comes to the economic advantages.

Such an approach and the lack of US efforts to resuscitate the JCPOA have drawn criticism even from the EU’s senior representative in the Doha talks.

The talks in Doha followed several rounds of negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna since April last year to restore the landmark deal, which was unilaterally abandoned by former US president Donald Trump in May 2018.

Source: Tasnim News Agency