Iran says nuke deal can be had soon, if other side gets serious

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says an agreement to restore the 2015 nuclear deal is at hand soon, provided that the US and European parties are serious about returning to full compliance with the deal.

Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Irish foreign and defense minister Simon Coveney, the Iranian top diplomat accuses the Western parties to the talks of “tampering the text and playing for time.”

“We believe that if the American side and the three European countries are serious about returning to the full implementation of their commitments as per the JCPOA, achieving a good agreement will be possible in the short term.”

“Our goal is the full removal of all JCPOA sanctions,” Amir-Abdollahian says, adding that “it is better for the Islamic Republic to reach an agreement today rather than tomorrow.”

But Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says during a meeting with Coveney that “the rights of the Iranian people must be respected” in the ongoing negotiations.

Coveney says he believes the Western parties to the deal to be “serious and committed.”

Ireland has been acting as the facilitator for UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was agreed in 2015 to endorse the JCPOA.

“As facilitator, Ireland aims to assist in that process in whatever way we can, helping all parties to move this discussion forward,” Coveney says.

“The restoration of the JCPOA in full would secure rapid and substantial sanction relief for Iran,” he adds.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.