US dismisses criticism over delayed Iran deal response

The Biden administration has dismissed criticism of its slow reply to Iran’s comments on the “final” text drafted by the European Union team brokering negotiations on the revival of the 2015 agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said there was “a response from Iran [on August 15th] that I considered reasonable. It was transmitted to the United States which has not yet responded formally”.

He added: “The world would be a much safer place if we can make this agreement work.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani criticised the US’s “procrastination” in offering a response.

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Reacting to Mr Borrell’s comment, US state department spokesman Ned Price said Washington would convey its response after the completion of internal consultations and discussions with its European allies.

Last Sunday US president Joe Biden spoke to the leaders of France, Germany and Britain which, along with Russia and China, are signatories of the multilateral deal.

Mr Price said the administration was “encouraged” by Iran’s decision to drop its demand that the US must revoke the designation of Iran’s Republican Guard as a “terrorist” organisation, which Tehran did several weeks ago.

He also said “gaps that must be bridged” to achieve US re-entry and Iranian compliance with terms breached after ex-president Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 deal and imposition of sanctions.

Separately, Iran has called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to drop its demand for an explanation for the presence of uranium traces and equipment found by IAEA inspectors in 2019 at undeclared sites.

However, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told CNN on Monday that the agency would “absolutely not” end its investigation. During the June IAEA board of governors meeting, Iran was censured for failing to provide answers but this issue could, in the view of nuclear experts, be delinked from the deal to ensure its revival.

Mr Price defended the administration’s efforts to return to the deal in the face of opposition from Republican and Democrat lawmakers and Israel.

However, an early August Data for Progress poll shows that 67 per cent of likely US voters, including 82 per cent of Democrats and 56 per cent of Republicans, advocate US re-entry.

Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani has said that, if agreement is achieved, implemention would take place in four phases over six months. On the day of signing, sanctions would be lifted on 150 Iranian financial entities and 17 banks, and $7 billion in Iranian blocked assets in South Korean banks would be released.

Both Iran and the US are under pressure to return to compliance ahead of the opening of the UN General Assembly session from September 13th-27th, which could provide an opportunity for the US and Iran to publicise the rescue of the nuclear deal, which would be a major gain for non-proliferation.