US President Joe Biden with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on February 4, 2021. -

Evan Vucci / AP / SIPA

A diplomatic window seems to be opening.

The United States made three gestures against Iran on Thursday, against the backdrop of intensified discussions for a relaunch of the nuclear agreement concluded with Tehran and the approach of an Iranian intention to withdraw. free from new commitments.

After a virtual meeting of the heads of French, British, German and American diplomacy, Washington announced that it had accepted an invitation from the European Union to talks in the presence of Tehran to relaunch efforts to restore this agreement.

"The United States accepts an invitation from the high representative of the European Union to a meeting of the P5 + 1 (a group bringing together the United States, Germany, China, France, United Kingdom and Russia) and from Iran to discuss the best way forward on Iran's nuclear program, ”State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Sanctions proclamation canceled

Joe Biden's administration in the process rescinded a unilateral proclamation made in September by Donald Trump's administration on a return to international sanctions against Iran.

In a letter to the UN Security Council, obtained by AFP, the acting American ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Mills, indicates that international sanctions "lifted by UN resolution 2231" in 2015 and confirming the nuclear agreement concluded the same year with Tehran “remain lifted”.

The September announcement by the Trump administration, which decided in 2018 to withdraw the United States from the agreement, was deemed null and void by a large majority of other members of the Security Council.

The State Department finally announced Thursday the easing of restrictions imposed on the travel of Iranian diplomats to the UN in New York.

Warning from Europe

The US-European meeting and Washington's triple move came as the Iranian government plans to restrict IAEA inspectors' access to non-nuclear facilities from Sunday, including military sites suspected of having nuclear activity.

Tehran has threatened to break free from new commitments made under the 2015 agreement unless the United States lifts its unilateral sanctions imposed since 2018 that are strangling the Iranian economy.

France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States called on Tehran to assess "the consequences of such a serious measure, in particular in this moment of opportunity for a return to diplomacy".

Antony Blinken “recalled that, as President Biden had declared, if Iran returned to strict respect for its commitments (…), the United States would do the same and that they were ready to start discussions with the United States. 'Iran in order to achieve it,' their statement said.

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