Amir-Abdollahian: Removal of IRGC from sanctions list a key demand
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says in an interview with Iranian TV that the remaining issues are few, but important.
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Amir-Abdollahian: The E3 were against some unreasonable US demands in the Vienna Talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said US President Joe Biden only claims that the US is approaching the Vienna Talks with good faith.
Speaking with Iranian TV, the Foreign Minister said that the US must prove this good faith, like freeing $10 billion from Iran's frozen funds, or removing sanctions on Iranian ships to prove that his approach is different from Trump's.
Amir-Abdollahian said that the meetings aren't just about taking photographs, as Iranians want to guarantee their national security and higher interests, stressing that although they are close to a nuclear deal, there still remain some points of disagreement. Though few in number, these points are important.
The Iranian Foreign Minister announced that the content of the drafts will be discussed with the Coordinator of the Vienna Talks Enrique Mora, in Tehran, noting that the Europeans were against some of the US' unreasonable demands in the talks.
He also said he related to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, that the signals Iran is receiving from the US are contradictory, and are not in line with "good faith".
Amir-Abdollahian noted that Iran too can make some last-minute demands, but we don't do that, and this is a reflection of our good faith.
The US agreed to take the first step in removing sanctions
The top diplomat clarified that the US agreed to take the first step in lifting the sanctions, continuing that the lifting of some Iranian official and IRGC figures from the sanctions list is the most important thing discussed in Vienna.
He stressed that if the US chooses to deal unrealistically with Iran's demands, then they will be responsible for the consequences of the deal's collapse.
Axios reported on March 16 that the US administration is considering the removal of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps from its terror blacklist in exchange for a commitment from Iran to "de-escalate" in the region.
One of the remaining points in the Vienna Talks is the removal of IRGC's designation as a terror group. The terror designation means that criminal penalties would be imposed on anyone doing business with any individual or entity connected to the IRGC.
In an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen on Friday, Amir-Abdollahian said that all parties in the region will win if an agreement is reached in Vienna, adding that “we are approaching the point of consensus in the nuclear talks, but what is important for us is how sanctions will be lifted as well as guarantees.”
“In recent weeks, there have been the many US attempts to negotiate directly with us on the pending issues,” he stressed.
Amir-Abdollahian made it clear that if the Biden administration is serious, it must show goodwill before considering direct negotiations.
