Iran demands guarantees from US on stability of n-deal

Tehran, June 22 The Iranian government has demanded guarantees from the US on the stability of the 2015 nuclear agreement in order to revive it, a top official said here.

"The US once showed during the Trump era that it can defiantly ignore the interests of other nations. They have to provide assurances in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Monday.

Khatibzadeh said he could not go into the details of the request for US guarantees concerning the agreement, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

On Sunday night, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi told the media in Vienna that it is Tehran's "natural request" that Washington guarantees it will not withdraw again from the JCPOA and re-impose sanctions on the country.

"It is impossible for us to return to the agreement without such a guarantee," Araqchi said after the sixth round of meetings of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA.

Khatibzadeh, in his press briefing, dismissed rumours about a transfer of the negotiations over the revival of the nuclear agreement to the team of Iran's new President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.

The spokesman stressed that the Iranian negotiating team has been working "without wasting time", in conformity with the policies set by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It is "not unlikely" that the next round of talks may be the last one, Khatibzadeh said.

A "clear draft concerning all matters" has been achieved in the negotiations and now a "political decision" must be taken "by all parties", he added.

The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments related to the agreement from May 2019.

The JCPOA Joint Commission began in-person meetings on April 6 in Vienna to continue previous discussions about a possible return of the US to the landmark agreement.