A senior US official has said that the United States shared with Iran a list of sanctions that the former is preparing to lift in exchange for returning to the 2015 nuclear accord. However, lifting some sanctions, particularly imposed by former President Donald Trump, will be difficult, the US official added.
The statement came as the second round of indirect talks between the US and Iran was completed in Vienna, where the negotiations to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal are ongoing. The United States had unilaterally withdrawn from the agreement under the Trump presidency in 2018.
Speaking to reporters, the US official stated that they provided Iran some examples regarding the sanctions that could be and could not be lifted in order to revive the nuclear deal. According to the scheme that Washington shared with Tehran, the sanctions were divided into three categories: those it is prepared to lift; those it is not prepared to lift; and those that will require further study to determine whether they should be lifted.
The source added that the third group of sanctions are the most “difficult” ones, including sanctions that the Trump administration reimposed, aiming to hamper the Biden administration from returning to the deal. Among them, there are ones that were imposed under “terrorism” and “human rights” abuses allegations. These are taken under review to determine whether they are accurate, and if not, they could be lifted as well, the official said.
The US official also emphasized that there are still significant disagreements between the parties regarding reviving the nuclear deal, and multiple rounds in talks are needed to reach an ultimate solution.
On the other hand, Iran would like to revive the 2015 nuclear deal without any modification. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highlighted his country’s stance on the issue, saying “We don’t want a JCPOA plus.” Iranian officials have also made statements rejecting the involvement of any direct or indirect talks with the US.
