Iraqchi: Meeting with Blinken in New York is Not Advisable

As the United Nations General Assembly convenes in New York, Iran's Foreign Minister announced Tehran's readiness to begin nuclear negotiations on the sidelines of the meeting while rejecting the possibility of a meeting with his American counterpart. Abbas Iraqchi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, stated in a video interview published on his Telegram channel on Monday, October 2, that "Iran is ready to start nuclear negotiations in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly if the other parties are willing." He pointed out that the JCPOA was a form of managing conflict resolution, adding, "Our duty in foreign policy is to monitor any disputes and conflicts that have arisen between us and some countries, especially the United States, and to devise ways to reduce costs for the country and the people." The United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement, which was signed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers, during Donald Trump's presidency in 2018. Under this historic agreement, Tehran limited its controversial nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Iraqchi added, "I will stay in New York a few days longer than the President and will have more meetings with foreign ministers of other countries." The U.S. State Department responded to Iraqchi's remarks, stating that the JCPOA is not currently on the table. This senior Iranian diplomat also mentioned his focus on efforts to initiate a new round of negotiations regarding the nuclear agreement. Iraqchi stated that messages have been exchanged through Switzerland and emphasized that a "public readiness" has been announced. However, he warned that "the current international conditions have made the resumption of negotiations more complicated and difficult than before." Indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran to revive the nuclear agreement have been completely halted during Ibrahim Raisi's presidency. While Iran is still officially part of the agreement, it has significantly reduced its commitments due to renewed U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Iraqchi indicated that he would not meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying, "I don't think such a conversation would be advisable. There have been such meetings before, but currently, there is no suitable ground for it. We still have a long way to go before direct negotiations." Since the renewal of U.S. sanctions during Trump's administration, Tehran has refrained from direct negotiations with Washington and has primarily conducted negotiations through European or Arab intermediaries. Iranian leaders are seeking to reduce U.S. sanctions that have significantly harmed the country's economy. However, Iran's relations with the West have worsened since the attack by the extremist group Hamas on southern Israel on October 7 of last year and Tehran's support for Moscow in the Ukraine war. The U.S. and the European Union recognize Hamas as a terrorist group. John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, rejected the possibility of resuming nuclear negotiations last July after the rise of Masoud Pezeshkian's government, emphasizing that Washington does not expect "a change in Iran's behavior." Last June, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that the agreement between Iran and Western powers regarding the nuclear issue, known as the JCPOA, now only "exists on paper and has no meaning."