The United States on Thursday ruled out any imminent renegotiation of the Iran nuclear deal, issuing a dismal review of the long-stalled talks on the 2015 accord.
The historic deal has been in tatters since then-President Donald Trump pulled the US out of it in 2018 and Iran later backtracked on some of its commitments. On-and-off talks have been ongoing since last year to restore the deal, which gave Iran much-needed sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
“It’s not that we don’t want to see the JCPOA re-enacted, we certainly do. We’re not in a position where that could happen anytime in the near future,” White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The acronym stands for “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action”.
“What we are focused on is holding the (Iranian) government accountable for what they are doing to these innocent political protesters.”
The European Union submitted a final draft of an amended nuclear text for the deal in August, but there are significant points of contention between Tehran and Washington and the UN nuclear watchdog.
