Iran’s Rouhani Says ‘Path Is Clear’ for US to Rejoin Nuclear Deal

TEHRAN (Sputnik) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Monday that the United States was welcome to return to the 2015 nuclear pact it abandoned more than two years ago.

“Any day that the United States decides to admit to its mistakes, make up for its illegal actions and return to Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA, the path is clear for them”, the president said.

Rouhani, who spoke at a meeting with visiting Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, said Iran expected Europe to stand up to the US. Switzerland has represented US interests in Iran for over a decade.

Switzerland set up a humanitarian trade channel with Iran in January in a bid to bypass US sanctions on countries dealing with the Islamic Republic. Tehran previously described similar efforts by the EU as limited.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted after hosting his Swiss counterpart that, although Tehran appreciated “Swiss efforts to mitigate US sabotage”, a return to normal trade was a global priority.

The JCPOA agreement, signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, has been in crisis since May 2018, when Washington unilaterally withdrew from it and reintroduced sanctions on Tehran. Now, the US is seeking to extend the UN arms embargo on the country, which is set to expire in mid-October. Russia and China oppose the move, arguing that the arms embargo is to be lifted five years after the deal’s adoption, under the JCPOA.

Iran warns that the arms embargo extension would mean the death of the nuclear deal.

Sourse: sputniknews.com