TEHRAN — The chairman of Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee says the United States and Europe need the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA, more than Iran.

"Americans and Europeans need the JCPOA more than us,” Vahid Jalalzadeh said, the Mehr news agency reported on Monday. 

The senior MP added, “The Islamic Republic, after overcoming Trump's ‘maximum pressure’ intended to destroy Iran's economy, has been able to meet many of its needs based on its domestic capabilities.” 

Jalalzadeh said Iran has succeeded to break the backbone of sanctions. He also said due to oil embargo against Iran the price of this commodity has increased to a large extent.

“The structure of sanctions is broken and oil is becoming more expensive,” he remarked.

He stated an interest by new American President Joe Biden to return to the deal was the failure of the policy of “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic. 

The Americans were sending messages that Iran should return to the JCPOA talks as soon as possible, he said, but the Biden administration's excessive emphasis to bring Iran back to the negotiating table is a misplaced emphasis.

The MP said the Biden administration sought three months to return to the talks to revive the JCPOA but now with the change of government in Iran Washington is putting a great pressure on Iran to return to the Vienna talks 

“At the beginning of its formation, the Biden administration asked for three months to conduct comprehensive studies regarding its return to the JCPOA. The same administration is pressuring the newly formed Iranian administration to announce the timing of the talks as soon as possible. They should give the Iranian administration the right to develop its own new platform for new negotiations,” Jalalzadeh pointed out.

Iran has announced that it will enter negotiations on November 29 with the aim of lifting “illegal and inhumane sanctions” on the Iranian nation.

Officials in Tehran has been insisting that a return of U.S. to the JCPOA must be fully verified. 

The top MP said verification will be a serious issue in the incoming negotiations. 

The parliament also will oversee Ebrahim Raisi administration's actions in the negotiations to implement the strategic parliamentary law on lifting sanctions, and would exercise its oversight at all stages of the negotiations, he added.

The chairman of parliamentary committee also says that the 1,500 sanctions on Iran that are on the U.S. list in the Vienna talks are part of the “minefield” created by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Iran has been insisting that it will only negotiate on the JCPOA and rejected calls by the West to for talks on Iran’s defensive missile program or its regional influence. 

Jalalzadeh said the Biden administration has been following Trump’s maximum pressure on Iran.

The representative of Urmia in the parliament also said a position by the Republicans that they would not allow an implementation of the JCPOA if they win the majority in Congress is not a new position. 

“The Islamic Republic, with its experience of such American positions, emphasizes the need for verification and assurances from the Europeans, and the Europeans and the Biden administration must take into account the concerns of the Islamic Republic.”

The MP went on to say that the Islamic Republic had made verification one of its serious conditions for the continuation of the JCPOA-related negotiations, but Europe and the Biden administration are opposed to this condition. 

The recent stance of the Republicans revealed the reason for Iran's insistence on verification, he said.

Jalalzadeh added: "According to the order of the Supreme Leader, Iran has set conditions for the return of the United States to the JCPOA including the lifting of sanctions.”

Verification is a basic and serious condition by Iran, he said.

The parliamentarian has underlined that verification means that after a return of the United States to the JCPOA, Iran can sell its oil and the money from oil sales can be transferred to Iranian banks so that “we can benefit from this income.”

He added, “A deal that has no economic benefits for Iran is useless.”