Washington: Iran was one of the focal points of Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia
According to the report of Fars International News Agency, “Ned Price”, the spokesperson of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs, repeated the country’s position on issues such as Russia and Iran and claimed that the ball is in Iran’s court when it comes to revitalizing the JCPOA.
According to a report that the website US Department of State published, the journalists present at the press conference on Monday evening (Tehran time) Ned Price asked the spokesperson of this ministry about various issues, especially regarding tensions with Russia and the status of nuclear negotiations with Iran.
In a part of this meeting, Matt Lee, the senior diplomatic correspondent of the Associated Press, challenged the statements of Ned Price and other officials of the US government about the isolation of Russia.
This reporter said to the spokesperson of the US State Department: “Ned, you keep saying this, this comment about the isolation of the Russians and Lavrov’s withdrawal from the G20 meeting. This gentleman has just left Russia on a tour of five or four African countries, starting in Egypt, going to Ethiopia, then Uganda, Congo. It’s not exactly a picture of isolation, is it?
“You saw and heard some of the messages that came out of the Group of 20, but there was a broad consensus among this group of countries, some of the world’s leading economies, that Russia should be condemned for its actions,” a State Department spokesman said. His actions aggravate and perpetuate the global food crisis. Well, with these statements, it is clear that Russia realizes that its own actions have caused this country to be rejected.
In response to the spokesperson of the US State Department, Associated Press reporter Matt Lee mentioned the recent visit of the Russian President to Iran and the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Turkey.
The senior American journalist said: “The (Russian) defense minister was in Turkey, that’s right, and he signed this agreement (on the export of Ukrainian grain)… President Putin was in Iran recently. Well, this is Iran, and you might say, it shows desperation, but you’re saying that all these foreign trips they’re making are signs of desperation and of Russia’s growing isolation? But it doesn’t really count like that.”
Ned Price said: “It’s very clear that Foreign Minister Lavrov is looking to engage with countries to prevent a furor against Russia. We have already mentioned this point. We are much less concerned about what messages Russia is hearing from countries and with whom it is talking. The message that Foreign Minister Lavrov heard, the message that Russia heard from the Group of 20, the message that Russia heard from the United Nations, the message that Russia heard from other countries – blocs of other countries – is increasingly about the casualties and damage of Moscow’s aggression and aggression. Moscow’s brutality towards Ukraine is clear.
The reporter present at the press conference of the spokesperson of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed to the recent consultation between Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi and Emmanuel Macron and asked: “After the phone call between the President of France and the President of Iran, do you expect a new step in the negotiations between Iran and the United States?”
The spokesperson of the US State Department, like other officials of this country, once again repeated the claim that the ball is in Iran’s court.
Ned Price, spokesman for the US State Department
Ned Price claimed: “It’s hard for me to say, because the reality is that it’s Iran’s job to make it clear that it’s ready to engage constructively and put aside foreign issues and talk about a deal in good faith; It is an issue that has been on the table for some time.
The spokesperson of the US Department of State continued: “The (Elysee Palace) issued a statement and clearly stated that French President Macron announced exactly the same message that we have indirectly conveyed to the Iranians, the same message that we have publicly published for some time. We are ready to re-enter the JCPOA on a mutual basis, but of course, mutuality means it’s a two-way street. The Iranians should do the same, we have not yet seen, at least until today, that the Iranians show that they are ready to do this.”
One of the other journalists present at the meeting asked Ned Price: “The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that they will not allow the cameras of the International Atomic Energy Agency to work until the agreement is restored.” Can this have an impact on the negotiations?
The spokesperson of the US State Department claimed: “We talked about this in recent weeks and mentioned last month that Iran’s decision to turn off numerous cameras related to the JCPOA was only in response to a very clear call that Iran had heard from the international community for more transparency. It is very unfortunate that there was less transparency. This was the latest step in a series of these actions. We know and the fact is that continuing to reduce the JCPOA’s transparency towards the International Atomic Energy Agency only complicates the challenges related to the possible mutual return of adherence to the JCPOA and only deepens the nuclear crisis that Iran has created itself.
He continued: “When talking about potential consequences, as part of any mutually negotiated return to adherence to the JCPOA, Iran must provide any information and transparency that the International Atomic Energy Agency deems necessary for verification.” As we have said, we will continually reassess the benefits of non-proliferation… As long as that assessment exists, we will continue to mutually return to adherence to the JCPOA. It is clear that a mutual return to compliance would be in the best interest of our national security. In other words, mutual return to compliance will put us in a stronger position than we are today in relation to Iran’s nuclear program.
Another journalist asked the spokesperson of the US Foreign Ministry: “You say that you want them to give up their non-JCPOA demands. Iran says the US government must make a decision, a political decision. What exactly is the agenda they expect from you? The (American) government and negotiators should know what Iran wants from them. They don’t say exactly, can you tell us?”
Ned Price said: “I will let the Iranians say publicly what they are referring to. The fact is that we have made a political decision. We made a political decision at the beginning of this administration (Joe Biden’s administration). In fact, it was a political decision that Biden made on the campaign trail at the time. If Iran rejoins the JCPOA, we will do the same. After months of painstaking negotiations, there is an agreement on the table, one that essentially hammers out the details of how to do this. “The reality is that we made this decision a long time ago. If the Iranians are serious about returning to mutual compliance, which they may not be, the onus is now on them to accept this agreement.”
Vienna negotiations
In the continuation of this meeting, the reporter asked the speaker: “So what is your assessment?” You keep saying whether they (Iranian officials) want a deal or not, I’m sure you’re evaluating whether Iran is pursuing this in good faith, whether they really want it or not. Otherwise, if you feel they don’t, why are you still pounding water in the mortar?”
This Washington official claimed: “The Iranians have certainly not done anything in recent weeks to show that they are eager to re-enter the agreement, and every day that their hesitation continues, or every day that is filled with silence, shows us that they are not serious and They are not ready to enter the JCPOA again on a mutual basis”.
The spokesperson of the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs further pointed to the country’s preparation for all possible scenarios regarding the success or failure of the JCPOA negotiations.
Ned Price also said that US President Joe Biden, during his trip to occupied Palestine and Saudi Arabia, discussed these possible scenarios with their officials.
The spokesperson of the US State Department said: “We will not back down. We are doing several things. First, we are working with our allies and partners within the 5+1 framework, but also more broadly to determine whether there is an opportunity to return to mutual adherence to the JCPOA. “We’re doing this for a very simple reason, and that’s because it’s still in our best interests to do so.”
He added: “In the background (of our action), we are always conducting technical assessments to determine when we may reach a point where it is no longer in our interest to reach an agreement, and we will reach this point.” We are fully aware of the situation and we have an open eye towards our Iranian colleagues, and that is why we have been preparing for these scenarios for some time: a scenario in which there is a possibility of mutual return to adherence to the JCPOA and a scenario in which In that case, there is no possibility of mutual return to adherence to the JCPOA. This was one of the focal points of President Biden’s trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The end of the message/p/t 12