European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that Iran has requested “some adjustments” to what had been billed as a take-it-or-leave-it draft proposal aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, Agence France-Presse reported.
Borrell added that “most” parties to the original accord have signed off on the new one, but that the United States has not yet responded, according to AFP.
After more than a year of talks, the European Union earlier this month submitted what it called a “final” proposed text to renew the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
“Iran responded by saying ‘yes but,’ that is to say they want some adjustments,” said Borrell, according to the report.
Borrell on Monday said that Tehran’s response was deemed “reasonable” and that he expected Washington to weigh in “during this week.”
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday discussed the ongoing nuclear negotiations during a phone call with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain, according to a statement released by the White House.
Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke about the “need to strengthen support for partners in the Middle East” as negotiations in Vienna over Tehran’s nuclear program appear to be nearing an endpoint.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took to Twitter on Tuesday to call on Biden to refrain from signing any agreement with Iran.
“I call on Biden & the US administration to refrain, even now at this last minute, from signing the agreement with Iran,” he tweeted. “This agreement will send approximately a quarter of a trillion dollars to the Iranian terror administration’s pocket and to its regional proxies, and will enable Iran to develop, install and operate centrifuges, with almost no restrictions, in a mere two years.”
“One way or another, the State of Israel is not a party to the agreement. Israel is not committed to any of the restrictions stemming from the agreement and will utilize all available tools to prevent the Iranian nuclear program from advancing,” Bennett added.
