Guterres warns of risk of losing nuclear deal with Iran
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Despite the West's pessimism, Iran's Foreign Minister says the Jordan summit is a good opportunity for negotiations aimed at restoring the JCPOA.
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Indirect talks between the US and Iran have stalled for several months with Iran facing Western-led riots (AFP)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres claimed on Monday that a return to the terms of the Iranian nuclear deal, formerly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is at risk of failing amid stalled talk.
"I have always believed that the JCPOA was a remarkable diplomatic achievement. I was very frustrated when the JCPOA was put into question, and we will do everything we can … to make sure that the JCPOA is not lost," Guterres expressed during an end-of-year press conference.
"We are, at the present moment, in serious risk of losing the JCPOA," he said, adding that losing the JCPOA would be a negative factor for peace and stability in the region.
Jordan summit 'good opportunity' for nuclear talks: Iran FM
Despite the West's pessimism, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian considered on Monday that a summit to take place this week in Jordan is a "good opportunity" for negotiations aimed at restoring the JCPOA.
"Jordan (visit) is a good opportunity for us to complete these discussions," Amir-Abdollahian told reporters in Tehran.
His comment came a day before Jordan hosts the "Baghdad II" conference, bringing together Iraq, France, and the main players in the Middle East, including Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Amir-Abdollahian and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell will be among the officials at the meeting along the Dead Sea.
"I hope that according to the approach of the Americans in the last three months, we will see a change of approach and the American side will behave realistically," the top Iranian diplomat said.
"I clearly say to the Americans that they must choose between hypocrisy and the request to reach an agreement and the US return to the JCPOA," he stressed.
Iran, Germany, and the five permanent UN Security Council members negotiated the JCPOA in 2015. The United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under the Trump administration, causing Iran to suspend the deal.
On-off talks to revive the JCPOA started in April last year, but the indirect talks between the US and Iran have stalled for several months with Iran facing Western-led riots.
Riots in Iran part of West plan to disrupt nuclear talks
In early December, Vahid Jalalzadeh, chairman of the Iranian Parliamentary Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy, told Sputnik that Western countries are seeking to exert pressure on Iranian authorities in the nuclear talks by encouraging unrest in Iran and covering it in the Western media.
Robert Malley, the US special envoy to Iran, recently said the United States will be focusing on a number of other things rather than reviving the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
In an interview for Bloomberg, Malley said Washington will be focusing on supporting rioters in Iran - which former US National Security Chief John Bolton recently admitted to them being armed - and on Iranian arms supplies to Russia.
In the same context, French President Emmanuel Macron told France Inter radio on November 14 that the current riots in Iran have an impact on the nuclear deal negotiations.
Similarly, the Assistant Commander of the IRGC for Political Affairs, Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, indicated on November 11 that one of the enemy's goals in destabilizing the country and trying to repeat the Syrian scenario in Iran is to influence the nuclear negotiations and obtain some concessions.
In the same context, Iranian army commander, Maj. Gen. Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi considered on November 7 that the riots in Iran were part of the United States plan to disrupt negotiations on the restoration of the nuclear deal.
UNSC reforms, enlargement open for discussion: Guterres
Elsewhere in his remarks, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN Security Council reforms and enlargement are both possibilities open to serious consideration by member states.
"I think that there is now space for a much more serious discussion in relation to Security Council reform. I think that the possibility of enlarging the Security Council is now seriously on the table. I’m still not optimistic about the right of veto," Guterres said.
Expanding the membership of the UN Security Council, which now includes five permanent and ten non-permanent members, has been discussed by UN members for decades, with no tangible progress achieved. Members have also recently discussed reforming the veto powers of the permanent members.
