US in a rush to reach deal with Iran: Iran FM

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke with reporters on Saturday in Yerevan and commented on the talks on lifting the sanctions on Iran and reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Amir-Abdollahian criticized the contradiction between the US’ words and actions in relation to the JCPOA and said that the latter is in a hurry to strike a deal with Iran and sent a message to Tehran three days ago.

“We received a message from the American party. Even in the exchange of messages, the Americans are in a hurry for reaching the point of agreement as soon as possible,” he said.

“We have made it clear that the accusations that the (International Atomic Energy) Agency has leveled against Iran in the nuclear sphere must be settled. We would not agree to strike an agreement with the IAEA intending to constantly put pressures on the Islamic Republic of Iran from the political path, like a bone of contention,” the foreign minister added, emphasizing that during the exchange of messages between the US and Iran, the former tries to "fan the flames of the issues" that occurred in the past few days in Iran.

“I think they (Americans) seek to put political and psychological pressures in order to win concessions in the negotiations. We will not make any concession to the US. We will move within the framework of logic and within the framework of an agreement in which the Islamic Republic’s red lines are observed. But at the same time, we won’t leave the negotiating table,” the senior diplomat underlined.

“Our assessment of the messages from the American side for us, even in the recent days, is that not only is it the priority of Americans (to reach a deal), but also they are in a hurry (to do so),” he added.

Amir-Abdollahian concluded that Americans announce different stances "for the sake of their own domestic consumption and the provocation of a series of factors inside Iran," noting that this is one example of the "US’ behavioral paradox."

Over the past year and a half, efforts have been mobilized to revive the JCPOA deal after then-President Donald Trump, with encouragement from Netanyahu, had America withdraw from it in 2018 - stating that the agreement was "a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made," claiming that "it didn't bring calm, it didn't bring peace, and it never will."

The continuous refusal of the US to abide by Iran's red lines has led to several interruptions in the negotiations.

A draft proposal has been recently developed by the European Union to revive the agreement, and the bloc accepted Iran's response and deemed it to be "reasonable." However, the United States took several weeks to respond to Iran's remarks, and its excessive demands and lack of political will have so far prevented a deal to be reached in the talks.