Vienna talks to remove US sanctions on Iran set to resume on 27 December

ByNews Desk- The Cradle

Despite complaining about Tehran's demands that all sanctions be lifted, the US government has so far failed to produce an alternative proposal

The European Union’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Enrique Mora, on 22 December said that the eight round of negotiations on removing sanctions imposed on Iran by the US will resume on 27 December.

The seventh round of talks ended on 17 December. Since November 2021, Iranian diplomats and the remaining signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have been meeting in the Austrian capital with the aim of restoring the deal.

The JCPOA collapsed in 2018 when the United States government unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and imposed severe punitive measures under what then president Donald Trump called a ”maximum pressure” campaign.

The main demand by the Iranian government is the the removal of all US sanctions and a guarantee that will ensure that future US administration do not repeat the move made by Trump.

The Iranian and US delegations have not met face to face but have been communicating using messages passed through the other delegations.

But while the US government claims that Iran’s demands are ”maximalist,” the Biden administration has failed to provide a reasonable alternative to the demand by Tehran.

On 22 December, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the ”door for reaching a deal with Iran will soon close.” He made the comments during an interview with an Israeli newspaper.

The Israeli government, which often is the biggest beneficiary of tension in West Asia, is strongly opposed to the restoration of the JCPOA. Tel Aviv claims that Iran is planning on using its nuclear energy program to produce a nuclear weapon.

However, Tehran denies these allegations and has long maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

In early October 2021 even the head of Israel’s military intelligence department admitted that there was no evidence indicating that Tehran is working on developing a nuclear weapon.