Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh addressed reporters today about the fate of the nuclear talks in Vienna. 

Khatibzadeh accused the United States of bringing the talks to a “suspension point.” He said, “What has become clear for us in the last two weeks is that [US President Joe] Biden and the White House have not made a decision.” He continued that the United States has made the nuclear talks a “hostage” in domestic partisan issues.

Khatibzadeh said that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was supported by UN Resolution 2231 and it is up to the Biden administration whether to abide by it or allow another international agreement to fall apart due to domestic partisan fighting. He added, “The US is responsible for the suspension of the negotiations.” If talks are resumed, the United States must provide a “logical answer” to Iran’s demands, Khatibzadeh said.

According to most observers, the stalemate is over the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. The Trump administration, which exited the JCPOA in 2018 and reapplied sanctions, added the IRGC to the list in addition to implementing a number of sanctions in order to make it difficult for subsequent administrations to reenter the deal. As a result of the US withdrawal, Iran expanded its nuclear program, including its level of enrichment and use of advanced centrifuges, steps that the JCPOA had limited.