(by Andrea Pinto) With the election of Joe Biden, a window has opened to restart talks with Iran and revive the 2015 international nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. A new course that probably has not yet convinced Iran, so much so that it is continuing its program of expansion of atomic energy. This time, however, the most important countries of the Old Continent belonging to the small group called directly intervened "E3", comprised of Germany, France and the United Kingdom"They openly condemned Tehran's intentions to increase its uranium enrichment capabilities. It is a clear intention to "substantially expand" its nuclear program, aggravated by the limitation of the access of United Nations inspectors ".
The E3 statement highlights the obstacles that remain to the restoration of the nuclear agreement of 2015 abandoned by Trump in 2018. The same Biden after an initial opening has specified that the United States will rejoin the agreement only if Iran respects precise conditions .
"If Iran is serious about taking the diplomatic path on the deal, it must not go ahead with its nuclear program“, E3 said in reference to the JCPOA agreement which was also signed by Russia and China. E3 in the same note also said that "Tehran's intransigence would jeopardize our shared efforts to preserve the JCPOA and risk jeopardizing the important opportunity of a return to diplomacy with the future US administration ”.
E3 said that information disclosed by Iran to the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency that it intends to install more advanced centrifuges in a nuclear fuel enrichment plant in Natanz is "clearly opposed to the JCPOA and is deeply worrying ”.
European nations have also expressed "great concern" about a law passed by the Iranian parliament following the assassination of its leading nuclear scientist which, if implemented, "it would substantially expand the Iranian nuclear program and limit access to IAEA monitoring ”.
Since last year, Iran has made a growing series of violations of the nuclear deal in retaliation for the US decision to exit the deal and impose tough sanctions on Tehran. Iran, which has always denied having a nuclear weapons program for military purposes, has asked Washington to resume compliance with the agreement without preconditions. Heiko Maas, German foreign minister, said that it is "It is important for Iran to return to its obligations under this agreement - even if this is not the case today". He also stressed that the agreement should be "expanded" to include "ithe regional role of Iran and its ballistic missile program ". "The fact that Joe Biden has publicly said that he is willing to restart talks on these issues is a reason why we must take advantage of it ", the foreign minister told German radio.
Biden told the New York Times last week that - in consultation with allies and partners - "the United States would have initiated subsequent negotiations and agreements to expand the nuclear deal". These aim to "strengthen and lengthen Iran's nuclear ties, in addition to addressing the missile program ".
Tehran has continued its nuclear program over the past few years to divert attention to its ICBM program in order to increase its regional influence.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said yesterday that "it will not compromise or negotiate on its national security issues ". A further complication in this delicate phase is that theSaudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates they want the regional states of the Middle East to be involved in any future negotiations to ensure that their concerns are properly addressed.