Calls for resumption of Iran nuke talks at UN General Assembly

World leaders have recently voiced their resolve to resume negotiations to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, internationally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), when they attended the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

The Iranian delegation to the recent UN General Assembly, headed by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, was busy meeting high-level representatives from world powers with the nuclear talks high on the agenda.

Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister said that a meeting with parties to the deal involved did not take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and he merely held bilateral meetings.

During a Tuesday meeting, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called for Iran's cooperation and expressed his concern about the stalled talks.

An EU statement said that Borrell "underlined once again the great importance of a quick resumption of the Vienna talks."

The French Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that time is running out for the nuclear deal to be restored, calling for an "immediate" return of all sides to the negotiating table.

Speaking to the reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed hope that negotiations in Vienna would resume "as soon as possible," urging the United States to "be more active" in reviving the JCPOA.

In the meantime, Iranian officials did not rule out returning to the negotiating table, stressing that any talks should guarantee the nation's interests are met.

During his speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that "the Islamic republic considers talks useful, the ultimate outcome of which is the lifting of all oppressive sanctions."

Iranian delegation head Abdollahian also reiterated his country's position that "nuclear talks should end U.S. sanctions."

"We are seriously reviewing the history of negotiations, and the new government will resume the talks," Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with Borrell.

"Iran neither wastes time, nor accepts unconstructive behavior of the United States, and it will not procrastinate the country with empty promises," he said, adding that "unfortunately, (U.S. President Joe) Biden government's behavior and policies in relation to Iran and JCPOA have so far been unconstructive."

Before leaving New York for Tehran on Saturday, Abdollahian said that any decision Iran makes regarding the nuclear deal would be based on U.S. action, official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.

"We said this clearly that we will use the Americans' practical behavior as the basis of our judgment ... and contradictory signals" that the Americans send through media or diplomatic channels do not serve as the basis for Iran's final decision-making, he also told Iranian state TV.

Observers said that hopes of reviving the deal are still alive particularly after Iran reached a deal with the UN nuclear watchdog earlier this month, which would assist the UN nuclear agency to restore and maintain its monitoring facilities at Iran's nuclear facilities.

After six rounds of talks in Vienna between Iran and other parties to the deal, with the United States indirectly involved, Iranian officials announced in June that they would decide on the continuation of talks after the establishment of the new Iranian administration, which came to power in August.

The nuclear talks that began in April sought to bring Washington back into the deal and persuade Iran to assume compliance with some of its commitments dropped after former U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran.