Antonio Guterres | The US and Iran to find a solution over Tehran’s nuclear program

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, called Thursday for the US and Iran to work together to break their current stalemate on the international nuclear accord, but he notes that he does not expect a solution soon.

The administration of the new US Democratic President, Joe Biden, has made it clear that it intends to return the US to the accord – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – from which the country withdrew following Donald Trump’s decision in 2018. However, Washington and Tehran are waiting for each other to take the first step.

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“There is a lot of work to be done,” but “I do not expect an immediate solution,” the UN Secretary-General said during a news conference when asked about the possibility of mediating a way out of the impasse.

“I believe that everyone, all those who entered the JCPOA and other interested parties, must work together to reduce uncertainties, to face difficulties and obstacles,” he added, avoiding to answer the question of the possibility of mediation. 

The aim is to “progressively move towards a situation where we can have an agreement that is essential for peace and stability in the Gulf and the world,” Antonio Guterres explained.

The 2015 agreement, meant to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, was signed by the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and was a “major diplomatic victory”, a necessary element for peace and stabilization of the Gulf and “we regret that it has been questioned,” he insisted.

In response to the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the imposition of US sanctions, Iran has reneged many of its commitments, though it insisted that the measures are reversible.

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