Iran recently announced that it was ready to start discussing a nuclear deal and waiting on the United States government on what actions it should take next regarding the agreement that was made in 2015.
The announcement by Iranian authorities was made on Wednesday and suggested that the region is willing to rejoin discussions on the agreement. Under the deal, Tehran temporarily halted its development of atomic technologies in exchange for being free of economic sanctions.
Iran's Nuclear Deal With America
Iran's announcement comes as a surprise to many people as the election of Ebrahim Raisi, who became president of the country in June, left many U.S. authorities without any hope for an agreement regarding the nuclear deal. However, the official's statements come as a pleasant revelation to the American government.
With the Iranian president's announcement, it is now United States President Joe Biden's turn to express his stance on the nuclear deal. However, some question the Democrat's willingness to revive the deal as despite campaigning last year to re-engage with Iran, Biden has done very little to move forward with his commitment, Yahoo News reported.
The announcement was echoed by Iran's deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri who posted a message on Twitter saying he had been involved in "very serious and constructive dialogue" on the "essential elements for successful negotiations with the European Union's deputy secretary-general for political affairs, Enrique Mora.
The Iranian official said that the two parties have agreed to begin discussions and negotiations before the end of November. Bagheri said that an exact date would be announced at a later date, most likely next week.
The discussions between Iran and the United States were suspended by the former after Raisi's presidential victory. For months, Iran has put a stop to going back to talking with the U.S., which has caused concerns among American authorities that the deal would not be revised, Business Insider reported.
Iran's Alleged Delaying Tactics
The situation also comes as tensions between Iran and the United States have risen due to Tehran ramping up nuclear activity, violating the deal's parameters. However, the Iranian government has continued to argue that its efforts were peaceful and were not done in anticipation of aggression.
On the other hand, UN atomic energy watchdog's Director-General Rafael Grossi said in late October that Iran was very close to having sufficient materials to successfully build a working nuclear bomb. The deputy head of the Middle East North Africa program at Chatham House, Sanam Vakil, said she did not expect an agreement to come anytime soon due to Iran's alleged "delaying tactics."
Additionally, Vakil said that Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Kani, refused to meet the E3, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, in a coordinated manner. The official said that the action suggested that Iran was "trying to sow divisions alongside the delaying tactics" that have been seen.
"I expect that the negotiations will take a number of months and we should be prepared that those negotiations might not see the final resumption of the deal," said Vakil, CNBC reported.
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