Iran Reviews US Response to EU on Proposal To Revive 2015 Nuclear Agreement

Iran is now reviewing the United States' response to the European Union on a proposal to try to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Wednesday.

In a statement, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "As you know, we received Iran's comments on the EU's proposed final text through the EU. Our review of those comments has now concluded. We have responded to the EU today."

Iran Reviews US Response Regarding Nuclear Deal

The official did not provide details on the response, but it is not expected that the U.S. will accept what Iran put forward without seeking changes and further negotiations. American officials had voiced their optimism around the latest efforts to salvage the nuclear deal.

The U.S. government left the deal in 2018 during former President Donald Trump's administration and which Tehran has increasingly violated since. However, the tension between the two parties remains.

The deal is also expected to face significant domestic opposition from U.S. congressional lawmakers and has been denounced by Israel. However, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he "will act to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state," as per CNN.

The negotiations over the nuclear deal are also set against a backdrop of continued concerns about threats from Iranian and Iranian-backed military groups. In a statement, EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali confirmed that they "received the U.S. response and have transmitted to Iran."

A spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that they had received the U.S. response via the EU and "the careful study of the views of the American side has started." Nasser Kanaani said that Iran will share its comments with the coordinator upon completion of the review.

According to Politico, the U.S. response is expected to focus on final sticking points related to Iranian demands for economic guarantees and sanctions relief. When asked about the contents of the response, an official familiar with the matter said it contained "a bunch of words and sentences and paragraphs."

Opposition from Other Nations

Another person familiar with the U.S. response said that it focused on the issue of economic guarantees. However, the person declined to give more details about the matter but said that the response "falls short of Iran's expectations." Now, American officials have to see if Iran realizes this is as good as it gets or decide to push for more.

European officials have, in recent days, expressed increasing optimism that they could revive the 2015 nuclear agreement. Western officials added that a number of technical questions related to economic guarantees and sanctions remain open.

Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, said on Wednesday that time was of the essence regarding the nuclear deal. He added that they only have "days left" to negotiate. The situation comes as oil prices ended higher on Wednesday after a volatile trading session on concerns that the U.S. will not consider additional concessions to Iran in its response to a draft agreement that would restore Tehran's nuclear deal, and potentially the OPEC member's crude exports, Reuters reported.