Iran highlights removal of sanctions in Vienna talks

Tehran, Nov 23 (IANS) Iran has insisted that the lifting of the sanctions will be the determinant point in the upcoming talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"If the JCPOA does not imply specific economic interests and the normalization of foreign trade for the Islamic Republic, the US should know that this window will not be open forever," Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, told the media here.

Khatibzadeh dismissed "speculations" on the possibility of an interim deal between Iran and its western counterparts on the 2015 nuclear agreement as a "psychological operation" aimed at "fishing in troubled waters".

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan raised the "interim deal" idea in a recent meeting , arguing that it would allow parties to the talks to "buy more time for nuclear negotiations".

The Iranian spokesman also dismissed recent remarks by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, noting "it would be better for the United States to make sure that objective guarantees are given regarding the lifting of the sanctions against Iran".

Austin affirmed the US' commitment to reaching a diplomatic outcome in the Vienna talks, but added that if Iran "isn't willing to engage seriously, Washington will look at all the options necessary to keep the US secure".

On November 29, representatives from China, Russia, France, Germany, the UK, and Iran will restart long-delayed talks over the revival of the JCPOA, with indirect involvement of the US.