[The official described the negotiations as "complicated," and said the initial round had centered on the specifics of what each side is prepared to do to return to compliance with the agreement, from which President Donald Trump withdrew three years ago.]
By Karen DeYoung, Loveday Morris, Simon Denyer and Kareem Fahim
The formulation, offered after a
first round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States this week, is
designed to break a roadblock between what Iran has demanded and what the
administration is prepared to give for both to return to compliance with the
accord.
The official described the talks as
"businesslike" and the atmosphere as "very constructive."
Discussions are expected to resume in the middle of next week.
At Iran's insistence, there was no
direct communication between the Iranians and the U.S. delegation headed by
special envoy Robert Malley. Messages were carried back and forth by other
participants in the nuclear deal — Britain, Germany and France, as well as
Russia and China.
"If they don't want to sit
down with us, too bad for them," the official said. "It's just going
to be harder for them to get what they want." The official briefed
reporters on the talks on the condition of anonymity, under rules set by the
State Department.
[Iranian
vessel was struck by explosion in Red Sea as nuclear talks began, Iran says]
The official described the
negotiations as "complicated," and said the initial round had
centered on the specifics of what each side is prepared to do to return to
compliance with the agreement, from which President Donald Trump withdrew three
years ago.
"We did not submit a list. We
exchanged ideas about the principles that would guide any sanctions on the U.S.
side. Iran did not submit a list either," the official said. Since the
U.S. withdrawal, Iran has increased the quantity and quality of its enriched
uranium, far exceeding the limits imposed by the 2015 agreement. It has
activated more-sophisticated centrifuges, all of which would have to be
decommissioned and placed under verifiable seal.
But the situation is far more
complicated for the United States.
While the original text lifted
specific sanctions that had been imposed related to Iran's nuclear activity, it
also broadly invited Iran back into the international economic community, so
that it could trade and seek foreign investment without worry that the United
States would threaten or impose sanctions on those conducting business with it.
Sanctions related to other aspects
of Iran's behavior — alleged terrorism sponsorship, support of proxy wars and
development of ballistic missiles — were not lifted by the original agreement,
and not prohibited in the future.
But when Trump withdrew from the
agreement, he not only reimposed all the sanctions that had originally been
lifted but also added over 1,500 more. Many were not labeled as nuclear-related
but as punishment for terrorism or other activities.
Included among them were Iran's
Central Bank and other financial institutions, which were called terrorist
entities. Trump administration officials were fairly open at the time that this
was done to make it harder for a successor administration to simply return to
the agreement by lifting "nuclear" sanctions.
"The United States retains the
right to impose sanctions for nonnuclear reasons," the official
said. "We've made clear, publicly, to the Iranians indirectly, our
view is that all sanctions inconsistent with the [deal] and benefits that Iran
expects" from the agreement, "we are prepared to lift if Iran comes
back into compliance."
"That doesn't mean all of
them," the official said of the existing sanctions, adding that
"some" are "legitimate." But "our position is . . . consistent with plain language and any fair
interpretation of the deal."
[Talks
on reviving Iran nuclear deal begin on ‘right track,’ Tehran envoy says]
The administration has undergone
what the official said was a "painstaking effort to determine which need
to be lifted. . . . The label itself doesn't always
give the answer. We have to keep in mind that there was a purposeful and
self-avowed effort" by the previous administration "precisely with
the political intent to make it hard for any successor that wanted to go back
in to do so."
Iran's position heading into the
new talks is that "all" sanctions imposed by Trump must be lifted
before it will return to compliance. "If Iran sticks to the position that
every sanction since 2017" must be removed, the talks will remain at an
"impasse," the official said.
"All Trump sanctions were
anti-JCPOA" and "must be removed," Iranian Foreign Minister
Javad Zarif tweeted
Friday, using the initials for the nuclear pact.
Iran also said Friday that it had
released a South Korean ship seized three months ago and released its captain,
easing at least one source of tension between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian forces intercepted the
South Korean tanker in the Persian Gulf in January, alleging it was captured for “technical” reasons
related to environmental pollution, while also complaining that Seoul had
frozen $7 billion of its assets to comply with U.S. sanctions.
[Iran
denies its seizure of South Korean tanker is hostage-taking]
It was unclear to what extent
Iran’s move was linked to the talks in Vienna. But Iran’s demand for access to
its frozen funds is part of broader negotiations over the revival of the nuclear
deal between Tehran and six world powers.
Iran has in the past strongly hinted that access to its funds in South Korea might be the kind of goodwill gesture that would break the deadlock with the United States. The money would pass through Switzerland and be restricted to purchases of humanitarian goods such as medical devices, Iranian officials have said.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry
official said Friday that “we firmly expressed our willpower to solve issues
related to the frozen funds.” The official, who was not authorized to be named,
said South Korea’s “efforts were communicated to Iran and could have positively
influenced the final decision to release the seized vessel.”
But the State Department, while
saying it was “pleased” with release of the ship, said in a statement that “the
United States has not authorized the release of the Iranian funds frozen under
sanctions and being held in South Korean banks.”
The European Union, which is
hosting the talks, said in a statement that Iran and the other signatories to
the deal — excluding the United States — held formal meetings Friday that “took
stock of the discussions held at various levels” over the past days. It said
that European coordinators would continue separate contacts with all
participants until they reconvene next week.
Morris reported from Berlin, Denyer
from Tokyo and Fahim from Istanbul. Michael Birnbaum in St. Louis contributed
to this report.
