KUWAIT CITY, Jul 30 (NNN-KUNA) – Washington is fully prepared to continue negotiation with Iran, to return to the Iranian nuclear agreement, visiting U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said here yesterday.
Blinken made the remarks, after he met with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues.
Blinken said that, the United States is willing to reach an agreement with Iran, urging Iran to make the decision, adding that, “the ball is in Iran’s court.”
The Iranian side has been criticising the United States for “violating their promises and commitments” to the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The U.S. government, under former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the JCPOA in May, 2018, and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal from May, 2019.
Between Apr 6 and Jun 20, the JCPOA Joint Commission, attended by a U.S. delegation, indirectly held talks in Vienna, to discuss a possible return of the U.S. to the JCPOA, and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the deal.
The parties recently said, serious differences remain between Iran and the United States over the revitalisation of the deal, after six rounds of talks.
Meanwhile, on relation with Kuwait, the U.S. top diplomat said that, his country is committed to strengthening partnership and cooperation with Kuwait.
Blinken praised Kuwait’s role and efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, saying that, Kuwait showed good leadership in resolving regional crises.
For his part, the Kuwaiti foreign minister said, they talked about “the importance of strategic dialogue, in matters of concern to the two countries and the development of bilateral relations,” while stressing the importance of the ties between the two countries in all fields.
Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, also held talks with Blinken.
