DUBAI
\nIran accused the United States on Monday of \u201cprocrastinating\u201d in indirect talks aimed at reinstating Tehran\u2019s 2015 nuclear deal, and said a prisoner swap with Washington was not linked to the negotiations.
\nAfter 16 months of fitful, indirect U.S.-Iranian talks, with European Union officials shuttling between the sides, a senior EU official said on Aug. 8 it had laid down a \u201cfinal\u201d offer and expected a response within a \u201cvery, very few weeks.\u201d
\nIran last week responded to the EU\u2019s text with \u201cadditional views and considerations\u201d, while calling on Washington to show flexibility to resolve three remaining issues. The United States last week said it was studying Iran\u2019s response.
\n\u201cThe Americans are procrastinating and there is inaction from the European sides…America and Europe need an agreement more than Iran,\u201d Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told a news conference. Kanaani said Tehran wanted a sustainable deal that would preserve Tehran\u2019s legitimate rights\u201d. \u201cUntil we agree on all issues, we cannot say that we have reached a complete agreement,\u201d he said.
\nMeanwhile, the United States has repeatedly called on Tehran to release several Iranian-Americans held in Iran on security charges. Iran has demanded several Iranians detained on charges linked to U.S. sanctions to be freed.
\n\u201cWe emphasize that the exchange of prisoners with Washington is a separate issue and it has nothing to do with the process of negotiations to revive the 2015 pact,\u201d Kanaani said, adding that Tehran was ready to swap prisoners.
\nIn 2018, then-President Donald Trump reneged on the deal reached before he took office, calling it too soft on Iran, and reimposed harsh U.S. sanctions, prompting Tehran to begin breaching the pact\u2019s nuclear curbs.
\n\u201cWe seek a good agreement which would guarantee Iran\u2019s national interests and would be long-lasting…We won\u2019t be bitten twice,\u201d Kanaani said. The 2015 agreement appeared on the verge of revival in March after 11 months of indirect talks between Tehran and U.S. President Joe Biden\u2019s administration in Vienna.
\nBut talks broke down over obstacles such as Tehran\u2019s demand that Washington provide guarantees that no U.S. president would abandon the deal as Trump did. However, President Joe Biden cannot provide such ironclad assurances because the deal is a political understanding rather than a legally binding treaty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DUBAI Iran accused the United States on Monday of \u201cprocrastinating\u201d in indirect talks aimed at reinstating Tehran\u2019s 2015 nuclear deal, and said a prisoner swap with Washington was not linked to the negotiations. After 16 months of fitful, indirect U.S.-Iranian talks, with European Union officials shuttling between the sides, a senior EU official said on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-278911","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n