Verification of sanctions relief a top issue in nuclear talks

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Iran’s major issue in any talks to save the 2015 nuclear deal, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, would be how to monitor the lifting of US sanctions.

The discussions were called off in June after conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi was elected president of Iran, with the goal of bringing Washington and Tehran back into conformity with the 2015 nuclear accord aimed at restricting Iran’s enrichment program.

Amirabdollahian said during a visit to Syria that Iran would “soon” return to nuclear discussions with international powers, including indirect talks with the United States, according to Iranian official media.

“Of course, we will soon return to the Vienna talks and we are keeping our eyes on the issue of verification and receiving the necessary guarantees for the implementation of commitments by the Western parties,” state media quoted Amirabdollahian as saying.

Amirabdollahian did not give details of the verification and monitoring mechanism Tehran was seeking. But Iran has often voiced concern about the need to verify that U.S. sanctions that were lifted under the accord are not kept in place by Washington.

Former president Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the nuclear pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that crippled Iran’s economy, prompting Tehran to breach some of the accord’s nuclear restrictions.

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