Iran Press/ America: Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, made the remarks while addressing a press briefing on Monday amid protracted talks to restore the multilateral deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“For him, I think what’s important is that all of the parties to the JCPOA demonstrate some flexibility, which is going to be required if you’re going to reach a compromise on the last remaining issues and return to the full implementation of the plan and UN resolution 2231 without any further delay,” he said.
“Everybody has a different role to play,” Dujarric said, explaining that the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is involved in an aspect of the nuclear discussions and that IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi is “deeply involved on behalf, shall we say, of the United Nations’ system.”
He also said Guterres, for his part, has had discussions with a number of the JCPOA parties, including a recent phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
“He (Guterres) continues to have those discussions. He continues to be briefed from different parties,” Dujarric said.
The spokesman said that the UN chief has always been a “strong proponent” of the JCPOA and would continue to support the deal.
The United States, under former President Donald Trump, abandoned the JCPOA in May 2018 and reinstated unilateral sanctions that the agreement had lifted.
The talks to salvage the agreement kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April last year, months after Joe Biden succeeded Trump, to examine Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.
Despite notable progress, the US’s indecisiveness and procrastination caused multiple interruptions in the marathon talks.
In recent weeks, there have been unfruitful, indirect responses between Tehran and Washington over an EU draft proposal on restoring the JCPOA, with Iranian officials urging their American counterparts to show “realism” and “flexibility” to secure a deal.
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