Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has accused Western states of “tampering with the text and playing for time” at the Vienna negotiations aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal. However, he said that arriving at a good deal was at hand.
For his part, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the West of dodging commitment by pretending to take initiatives.
Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Irish Foreign and Defense Minister Simon Coveney, Amir-Abdollahian cast the shadow of doubt regarding US intentions at the Vienna talks.
“It would be better for us to reach a deal today, rather than tomorrow,” he said, adding that “we’re in a rush for achieving a deal, but a good one that serves our national interests.”
The top diplomat also said that an agreement to restore the 2015 nuclear deal is “at hand,” referring to forward momentum at negotiations in Vienna.
“West must stop playing with the issue of time and text,” said Amir-Abdollahian and called on the other parties to work towards a swift deal, which is something all the other participants were attributing to Iran.
“I do believe that the other parties to the JCPOA, in particular Western countries, are deeply committed to making this work,” Coveney told reporters at the news conference, using the acronym for the deal’s official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Ireland has been acting as the facilitator for a UN Security Council resolution that 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 said, adding that the restoration of the JCPOA would secure rapid sanctions relief for Iran.
