The ongoing talks in Vienna to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), came to a sudden halt on Friday over last-minute Russian demands.
Russian special representative to the Vienna talks Mikhail Ulyanov said on Friday that after a meeting with the European Union’s (EU) envoy, Enrique Mora, a decision was made to “take a pause in the negotiations” due to several outstanding issues.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that any nuclear deal with Iran could be reached only if the West “guarantees” that Russia-Iran trade ties will not be affected by sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Sanctions on Russia should “not in any way damage our right to free and full trade, economic and investment cooperation and military-technical cooperation” with Iran, Lavrov said.
However, Ulyanov noted that Russia will “continue to work with all delegations to settle the remaining outstanding issues as soon as possible.” He said that he did not know how long the talks would be halted for, adding that the finalisation of a deal “does not depend on Russia only.”
Moreover, he called reports blaming Russia for sabotaging the deal a “dirty misinterpretation.” “Russia has always been a driving force, not an obstacle in the course of the negotiations,” Ulyanov stressed.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed the suspension of talks. “A pause in Vienna talks is needed, due to external factors,” he said, referring to Russia’s demands. He also stated that a final text of a potential deal between Iran and world powers is “essentially ready and on the table” and he will “continue to be in touch with all JCPOA participants and the United States (US) to overcome the current situation and to close the agreement.”
A pause in #ViennaTalks is needed, due to external factors.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 11, 2022
A final text is essentially ready and on the table.
As coordinator, I will, with my team, continue to be in touch with all #JCPOA participants and the U.S. to overcome the current situation and to close the agreement.
The US said that the pause in talks was a time for all parties to reflect on the negotiations. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday that if all parties demonstrate political will, “we remain confident that we can achieve a mutual return to compliance in fairly short order.”
Similarly, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh noted that the pause “could be a momentum for resolving any remaining issue” before a deal can be finalised. “Successful conclusion of talks will be the main focus of all,” Khatibzadeh said, adding that “no external factor will affect our joint will to go forward for a collective agreement.”
According to several analysts, the Kremlin is trying to stall the nuclear talks as a response to the West’s sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. In this respect, Moscow’s demand for “guarantees” that its trade with Iran will not be affected is a demonstration that it has enough leverage to collapse the nuclear talks.
However, the US has rejected the Russian demands, saying that sanctions on Russia are unrelated to the Vienna talks. In this respect, Price said that the “new Russia-related sanctions are wholly and entirely unrelated to the JCPOA.” “We’ve also similarly been clear that we have no intention of offering Russia anything new or specific as it relates to these sanctions,” Price added.
The sudden pause in negotiations came following recent reports suggesting that a deal between Iran and the P5+1 (US, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany) was imminent. Officials from the EU and Russia have stated that a deal was within reach. Ulyanov even said last month that “negotiations on restoration of the JCPOA are about to cross the finish line.”
Negotiations were further jeopardised after Iran launched several ballistic missiles in Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital Erbil near the American consulate on Sunday. Mohammad Marandi, an adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiating team in Vienna, tweeted that the strikes were “just the beginning.”
This was in #Erbil last night. This is just the beginning. pic.twitter.com/6p7d2xwMrn
— Seyed Mohammad Marandi (@s_m_marandi) March 13, 2022
Reacting to the development, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Iran’s actions and called Tehran “the world’s largest state sponsor of terror.” “It must remain designated as such, and terrorist-related sanctions must remain in place. Iran must never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” he added. Similarly, Democratic representative Elaine Luria urged the Biden administration to “withdraw” from talks with Iran. “We cannot re-enter a failed JCPOA to further empower Iran and threaten global security,” she stressed.
Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terror.
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) March 14, 2022
It must remain designated as such, and terrorist-related sanctions must remain in place.
Iran must never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
Iran and the P5+1 signed the JCPOA in 2015. The deal, which extended sanctions relief to Iran to significantly reduce its nuclear programme, seeks to prolong its “breakout capacity,” which is the time required to produce highly enriched uranium for one nuclear weapon.
However, the previous US administration, led by President Donald Trump, decided to withdraw from the JCPOA in 2018 and re-imposed punitive measures on Iran. After coming to power in 2021, President Joe Biden expressed a willingness to re-join the agreement and remove the crippling sanctions on Iran. To this end, world powers and Iran have held intense negotiations in Vienna, Austria to restore the deal since last April.