Unless some last-minute miscalculation emerges, US officials and experts are expecting the world powers and Iran to come to an agreement to restore the 2015 nuclear deal in the coming days after a hurdle has been removed.
A US State Department official confirmed they expect to reach an understanding on a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA, which would cap 11 months of indirect negotiations between Iran and the Biden administration to revive the major deal that former President Trump withdrew the US from in 2018.
The US optimism regarding reaching a deal has been fueled after an important hurdle was cleared this week with Moscow stepping back from its opposition.
Russia, which was one of the original signatories of JCPOA along with the US, UK, France, China, and Germany, has stopped opposing after Washington offered it guarantees that it will not impose sanctions on Moscow’s nuclear projects with Iran that are part of resuming full implementation of the JCPOA.
Tehran has further pushed the progress by freeing on Wednesday freed two British Iranians detained for years after the government in London paid a long-standing debt over a canceled defense contract.
Meanwhile, at least five US citizens remain detained in Iran and the State Department official said that securing their release is one of Washington’s utmost priorities.
Reaching an agreement is of utmost importance since the US believes that Tehran would soon reach breakout capability to build a nuclear weapon with the pace of Iran’s nuclear advances.
In anticipation of a deal, the Biden administration has also intensified regional diplomacy, recently sending Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, to discuss Iran with regional leaders in the Gulf, while the State Secretary Antony Blinken had calls with his Qatari, Turkish, Emirati and Saudi counterparts.
Blinken is also expected to visit the region once an agreement is signed.
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