Iran ready for new round of nuclear talks at UN Assembly

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that the Iranian delegation, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, plans to hold a new round of negotiations regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"I will be in New York a few days longer than the president, allowing me to have additional meetings with foreign ministers from other countries. We will aim to initiate a new round of discussions on the nuclear issue," Araghchi stated, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.  

He stated that Tehran is ready to embark on a new phase, and if the other party shows interest, "negotiations could resume during this visit."  

"There has been communication, and there is a public statement expressing readiness. However, the current international situation makes the resumption of talks on the nuclear deal more complex and convoluted than before," the Iranian foreign minister added.  

On July 26, the Kuwaiti Al-Jarida newspaper reported that Washington informed Tehran of the Biden administration's readiness to quickly return to the JCPOA. In September, EU spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy Peter Stano announced that EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell is maintaining contacts with JCPOA participants, as well as the US to ensure communication channels remain open for resuming negotiations.  

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 by Iran and a group of international mediators, including the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the US, and France. The agreement marked the end of a crisis that began in 2004 when Western countries accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons and imposed sanctions. 

In 2018, President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the US from the agreement.   US incumbent President Joe Biden has repeatedly signaled his willingness to return Washington to the nuclear deal. Since April 2021, Russia, the UK, Germany, China, the US, and France have been engaged in negotiations with Iran to restore the JCPOA to its original form. On November 10, 2022, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi announced that another round of talks in Vienna ended without results.

By Naila Huseynova