Iran Says It Sees “Diplomatic Path” For Reviving 2015 Nuclear Deal

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani has said that diplomatic opportunities still exist to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

Kanaani stated on Monday that the path to an agreement remains open if other involved parties show a practical commitment to fulfilling their obligations, Xinhua news agency reported.

“We believe that the diplomatic opportunity still exists for all parties, especially those that refrained from implementing the agreement,” Kanaani told reporters in Tehran.

He noted that Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi recently had a “good phone conversation” with the European Union (EU)’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressing optimism about potential talks between Iran and the EU.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with several major countries in 2015. The agreement imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

However, the US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in May 2018, reinstating sanctions and prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.

Efforts to revive the JCPOA began in April 2021 in Vienna, but no significant progress has been reported since the latest round of talks in August 2022.