US is considering to fully revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) with Iran which the former pulled out of in 2018 under Donald Trump’s presidency. After withdrawing from the nuclear deal, the US re-imposed all the sanctions on Iran that it had previously lifted under the deal. During a US Department of State press briefing in Washington, spokesperson Ned Price hinted that the US is willing to lift sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a bid to revive the JCPOA.
When asked about reports suggesting US’ willingness to lift eliminate sanctions against the IRGC, Price did not refute the claim. He said while talking to reporters, “The issue of sanctions relief is really and has been at the heart of these negotiations, but we’re just not going to speak to specifics at this stage.”
Notably, the development comes after US banned Russian energy imports as a result of the Russia invasion of Ukraine. Iranian oil can fill the void left by the ban on Russian oil and gas imports by the US.
The State Department spokesperson also informed that Washington is keen on reviving the JCPOA with Tehran as the Iranian nuclear program has advanced at a considerable pace. Price stated, “We want to do everything we can to see to it that a mutual – well, to determine if a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA is in the offing, and it would need to be in the offing in the short term. As we’ve said, there is little time remaining, given the nuclear advancements that Tehran has made.”
