US excessive demands barred resolution of nuclear issue: FM
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Iran, the US and European powers failed to reach a compromise on Iran’s nuclear issue in New York due to Washington’s excessive demands.
Speaking to reporters before leaving New York for Tehran, Araghchi characterized the approach of the Western parties to the 2015 nuclear deal as an attempt to extract “unreasonable and unachievable concessions” from the Islamic Republic.
He said Iran had presented its own “completely reasonable” proposals, which, he added, European parties had also acknowledged were fair.
On September 19, the 15-member Security Council failed to adopt a resolution that would have prevented the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran after the E3 triggered the “snapback” mechanism and accused Tehran of failing to comply with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
A subsequent resolution, which sought to grant a six-month extension to both the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, also failed to pass at the Security Council on Friday.
“An attempt was made to reach a settlement between the proposals of the two sides, but due to the excessive demands of the Americans and the support of the European countries, we were unable to reach a settlement,” Araghchi stated.
Araghchi also revealed that “messages were exchanged with the Americans, both directly and indirectly.” He stated that officials were “relieved that we did what was necessary and it was confirmed.”
Diplomatic solution
In a separate interview with CNN, the Iranian official reiterated that diplomatic solution is the only way to resolve Iran’s nuclear issue, stressing that military action and the sanctions will only complicate the situation.
Araghchi said Iran has previously proved that it is not seeking nuclear weapons and accepted the US invitation for negotiations. Five rounds of talks were held, but Israel attacked Iran two days ahead of the planned sixth round of the negotiations, and the US accompanied Israel in the aggression, he added.
Iran has had two “unpleasant experiences” with the US, the Iranian foreign minister told CNN. Once, an agreement was reached but the US withdrew from it, and another time, Iran entered negotiations with Washington but came under attack, the top diplomat said.
Araghchi said that the US struck the Iranian nuclear sites in June and caused severe damage to them, but the military action failed to resolve the standoff since Iran possesses indigenous nuclear technology and has not relied on imports.
If there are concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, the solution goes through diplomacy and Iran has always been ready for dialogue and a negotiated settlement of the issue, Araghchi said.