Iran calls on US to 'stop double-dealing' to conclude Vienna talks

The Iranian foreign minister has expressed Tehran’s readiness for the conclusion of talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) while calling on the United States to “stop double dealing” and show genuine will amid stalled negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a series of tweets on Thursday, a day after he exchanged views with European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in a phone call regarding the fate of the stalled JCPOA talks in Vienna.

“In constructive convo with @JosepBorrellF, discussed messages exchanged on Vienna Talks and re-emphasized Iran's absolute readiness to conclude negotiations ASAP. The US must stop double-dealing. Genuine will is needed. We remain fully committed to secure rights of our people,” Amir-Abdollahian wrote.

Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally left the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted. He placed additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign.

The talks to salvage the agreement kicked off in the Austrian capital in April last year, months after Joe Biden succeeded Trump, with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

Despite notable progress, the US indecisiveness and procrastination caused multiple interruptions in the marathon talks.

Amir-Abdollahian dismisses claims of Iran's drones delivery to Russia amid Ukraine war, rights abuse in recent unrest

Also in his tweets on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian once again dismissed Western claims of Iran’s delivery of weapons and drones to Russia to be used against Ukraine.

The top Iranian diplomat also rejected “hypocritical” statements by the US and some of its European allies regarding what they claimed to be human rights abuse in the country during the recent riots.

“Also reiterated our crystal clear position on Ukraine: war is not the solution. Accusations are fabricated & unsubstantiated. Addressing hypocritical EU3/US statements on human rights in Iran, strongly rejected any foreign interference. Iran is anchor of stability in the region,” Amir-Abdollahian noted.

MG