Iran nuclear deal is not our focus right now: White House

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Dec 2022 20:47
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US President Joe Biden had said a month ago that the Iran deal was "dead" and that the issue of reviving it was a matter of a "long story".

National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby

National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said on Tuesday that the prospects for the JCPOA deal to be renewed are nowhere near sight, citing reasons related to the alleged crackdowns on protesters in Iran.

"We simply don't see a deal coming together anytime soon while Iran continues to kill its own citizens, and selling UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles or drones] to Russia," Kirby said during a press briefing. "Now we don't anticipate any progress anytime in the near future. That's just not our focus."

This comes in the backdrop of a statement issued by US President Joe Biden at a political rally in California in early November in which he said that the Iran deal was "dead" and that the issue of reviving it was a matter of a "long story".

President Biden asked if he will announced the Iran deal is dead by Iranian Americans:

“It is dead but we’re not gonna announce it”

🤦🏼‍♀️ #IranRevoIution
pic.twitter.com/Qakgj6Lz06
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) December 20, 2022

Commenting on these statements, Kirby said what Biden said was "very much in line" with the White House's position on the nuclear deal.

As efforts were underway to revive the nuclear agreement, the US decided to stall the negotiations on the grounds that Iran is allegedly exercising measures of repression on protesters.

But Iranian authorities found that networks of protesters were in fact financed by several western countries to fulfill imperialist aspirations of implementing regime change in the country.

Moreover, the US accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia to assist Moscow in its special military operation in Ukraine.

But Kiev failed to provide concrete evidence proving that Iran had supplied drones to Russia.

Earlier today, it was reported that the UN has called on the US to lift or waive its sanctions against Iran as per the 2015 nuclear agreement and to extend the waivers regarding the trade in oil with the country.

The UN's political chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, made the remarks during an address to a Security Council meeting on non-proliferation (implementation of resolution 2231), which supports the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Restoring the JCPOA is essential, according to her, to reassure the world of the peaceful character of Iran's nuclear program and to enable the nation to realize its full economic potential.

“The agreement on the plan and its endorsement by the [Security] Council demonstrated a unity of purpose among its participants. Both the plan and the resolution support our common objectives of nuclear non-proliferation and regional security, in a manner that delivers tangible economic benefits for the Iranian people,” she added.

She regrets that no agreement has been reached on reviving the JCPOA despite the “tireless efforts” of JCPOA participants since April 2021 to resolve the remaining differences.