Guterres may discuss Iran nuclear deal with Tehran UNGA delegation

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres may end up discussing the Iran nuclear deal with the Iranian delegation to the UN during the General Assembly this week, his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Monday.

"I think so," Dujarric told a briefing when asked if Guterres and the Iranian delegation would be discussing the JCPOA. 

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived on Monday in New York to attend the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. 

In the about-to-be broadcasted interview done on Tuesday on CBS News' 60 Minutes program, Iran's Ebrahim Raisi was asked whether he was open to a meeting vis-à-vis US President Joe Biden, to which he replied, "I do not think that such a meeting is going to take place," adding, "I don't believe having a meeting or a talk with him will be beneficial."

At the beginning of his presidential campaign, Biden voiced his intentions to bring the US back into the deal but there has been no sign of that, and the US has even imposed more sanctions on Iran, such as the latest concerning Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and its Minister Esmail Khatib, after the US accused Tehran of being behind a cyberattack against NATO ally Albania, which Iran denied.

Guterres had previous discussions with the Iranian authorities and other parties to the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Dujarric added that Guterres previously spoke with Iranian authorities and other parties concerned about the need for all to show flexibility and move forward with the deal. 

"I have no doubt that they will come up to these discussions again," Dujarric said. He added that the UN hopes for a peaceful resolution.

"We very much hope that dialogue can continue and they can find consensus and move forward," he said. 

The 77th session of the UN General Assembly kicked off on Tuesday. The main event - the general debate during which world leaders gather to discuss international issues - starts on September 20.

This week's assembly is the UNGA's first in-person summit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major powers and Iran are holding talks in Vienna with the aim of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement and returning the United States to it following Washington's unilateral withdrawal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, who accompanied his decision with the imposition of harsh sanctions on Tehran.

In response, Iran gradually withdrew from its commitments under the JCPOA, seeing that the agreement was no longer binding.

Just weeks after the deal seemed to have died, the EU put forward on August 8 what it called a final text to restore the agreement, in which Iran would see sanctions relief and be able to sell its oil again in return for severe limits on its nuclear program.

Iran came back two weeks ago with a series of proposed changes, to which the US formally responded on Wednesday, a day after Tehran accused the US of spreading false information about its nuclear activities.