Iran may accept EU proposal to revive nuclear deal if demands met: Report

State news agency IRNA quoted a senior Iranian diplomat as saying Tehran was reviewing the proposal to revive the 2015 nuclear deal

A European Union proposal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal “can be acceptable if it provides assurances" on Tehran's key demands, the state news agency IRNA said on August 12, quoting a senior Iranian diplomat.

The EU said on August 8 it had put forward a "final" text following four days of indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Vienna.

A senior EU official said no more changes could be made to the text, which has been under negotiation for 15 months. He said he expected a final decision from the parties within a "very, very few weeks.”

IRNA quoted the unidentified Iranian diplomat as saying Tehran was reviewing the proposal. “Proposals by the EU can be acceptable if they provide Iran with assurance on the issues of safeguards, sanctions and guarantees,” the diplomat said.

The Islamic Republic has sought to obtain guarantees that no future U.S. president would renege on the deal if it were revived, as then-President Donald Trump did in 2018 and restored harsh U.S. sanctions on Iran.

However, President Joe Biden cannot provide such ironclad assurances because the deal is a political understanding rather than a legally binding treaty.

A Shi'ite Muslim cleric, in a sermon at Friday prayers that typically echo the state line, said Tehran insisted on obtaining verifiable guarantees that U.S. sanctions would be lifted under a revived deal, according to Iranian state TV.