US Could 'Quickly' Rejoin JCPOA If Talks Continue to Progress, State Dept. Official Says
The U.S. could rejoin the Iranian nuclear deal (see 2104220008) as early as this summer, a senior State Department official said, but much of the timing will depend on Iran. The official said both countries have had “constructive” talks in recent meetings but said Iran is being unrealistic about the number of sanctions it wants the U.S. to lift.
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“There is a question as to whether Iran understands fully that we can’t get a situation where the U.S. does more than is required [in terms of] sanctions relief,” the official told reporters during a May 6 call. But the official said a deal is reachable if Iran rescinds some demands. “We think that it's doable. This is not rocket science. It's not inventing a new deal. It's revising one that has been undermined,” the official said. “So, is it possible to get a deal before the Iranian elections [in June]? Absolutely.”
The official stressed that the U.S. is not at the “absolute final stage of the” talks and there is a “bucket of the most difficult sanctions that we still need to discuss.” But those issues could be resolved “relatively quickly.” The talks have been “serious and the mood has been constructive,” the official said. “We’ll just have to see whether the next round actually moves things forward or whether we’re still faced with unrealistic demands by Iran.”