Iran says U.S. accountable for nuclear deal stalemate and tensions in Gulf region

TEHRAN, July 18 (Xinhua)

The United States should be held responsible for the stalemate in negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal and the escalating tensions in the Gulf region, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, made the remarks at a weekly press conference while commenting on the latest developments regarding the indirect talks between Tehran and Washington on the revival of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The negotiation path is still "open" and the nuclear deal's revival can be pursued through diplomatic channels, Kanaani said, urging the U.S. side to show its determination and to make its "definite" political decision to this end.

Iran signed the JCPOA in July 2015 with China, France, Germany, Russia, the European Union, Britain, and the United States. It agreed to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country.

Washington, however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran.

Tensions between the two countries have remained high ever since. Recently, Washington expressed its intention to send fighter jets and warships to the Hormuz Strait in response to Iran's alleged "attempt to seize oil tankers". Kanaani criticized the Pentagon's move as "provocative, unconstructive and destabilizing," pledging "great sensitivity" to any "provocative and illegal" move near Iran's borders.

The U.S. government's role with regard to the region's issues, particularly its security, has never been peaceful and constructive, he said. The JCPOA's revival talk began in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. No breakthrough has been achieved since the latest round in August 2022.