Iran Claims on 'Indirect Nuclear Talks'; Kanani: We Seek the Same JCPOA

Nasser Kanani, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday commented on reports regarding indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States, stating that the basis of the talks is 'the same signed JCPOA agreement' and 'we do not confirm anything under the title of negotiations for a temporary agreement.' Kanani said, 'We welcomed the noble efforts of the Sultanate of Oman and its officials to energize the negotiations for lifting sanctions, and we exchanged messages through Oman with the other side, and the process continues.' According to the spokesperson, 'The Muscat negotiations are not secret, and we are engaging in indirect talks.' Kanani emphasized, 'We are pursuing the same JCPOA, and the negotiations conducted are within the framework of the JCPOA agreement.' The representative office of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the United Nations previously rejected reports suggesting that Iran and the U.S. were nearing a temporary agreement, stating that no temporary agreement is on the agenda to replace the JCPOA. Additionally, a U.S. State Department spokesperson on Thursday described a report by the news website 'Middle East Eye' about a temporary agreement between the U.S. and Iran to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions as 'incorrect and misleading.' U.S. officials have repeatedly stated that reviving the JCPOA is not a priority for the Biden administration following the onset of public protests in Iran, asserting that while diplomacy is the best option to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, all options are on the table. The Islamic Republic claims that it enriches uranium for peaceful purposes, but the U.S. has repeatedly emphasized that Iran's actions to produce uranium enriched to 60% 'have no credible peaceful purpose, and no other country in the world today uses uranium enriched to 60% for the purposes claimed by the Islamic Republic.' Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on Sunday commented on the murmurs of an agreement with the West, stating, 'An agreement is not a problem,' but the infrastructure of the nuclear industry 'should not be touched.'