Iran says reviewing US response to EU plan for nuclear deal

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Iran said Wednesday it had received a response from the US to an EU-drafted plan to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tehran is making a “detailed review” of the US response, which was received through EU coordinator Josep Borrell.

Iran will offer its comments on the US response through the EU coordinator after “carefully studying it,” he said.

US government officials also confirmed on Wednesday that the response to Iran's comments on the EU-drafted plan had been sent, without providing further details.

Talks between Iran and world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal have been underway since April last year, marked by multiple interruptions.

Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief and the coordinator of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington, proposed a new draft proposal after the latest round of talks in Vienna earlier this month, which came after a five-month hiatus.

Iran filed its response to the EU proposal on August 15, a week after the talks ended in Vienna.

After submitting its response, Iran called on the Biden administration to show "realism and flexibility,” while EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali said they were studying it and consulting with other parties.

Borrell on Monday termed the Iranian response “reasonable,” while exuding confidence that it will help the parties “to complete the negotiations.”

According to reports, Tehran and Washington have reached an agreement on many sticking points, with Iran dropping the demand for the de-listing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

However, the probe into Iran’s “undeclared nuclear sites” continues to act as a roadblock in finalizing a deal, with Tehran insisting that the file must be closed before a deal is sealed.

A top adviser to Iran’s negotiating team, Sayed Mohammad Marandi, in a tweet on Tuesday said no deal will be implemented before the UN nuclear watchdog “permanently closes the false accusations file.”

Iran accuses the International Atomic Energy Agency of acting under Israeli pressure.

Also on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, speaking to reporters, expressed concern that the US and other parties will offer more concessions to Iran to reach a deal in Vienna.