TEHRAN — In remarks made on Thursday, United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Iran’s move in shutting down cameras beyond Safeguards agreement is “further reduction of transparency.”

He also accused Iran of threatening “further nuclear provocations,” CNN reported. 

The top U.S. diplomat called Iran’s reciprocal measures to the IAEA Board of Governors’ political and unlawful behavior “counterproductive and would further complicate our efforts to return to full implementation” of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The only outcome of such a path will be a deepening nuclear crisis and further economic and political isolation for Iran,” he said, adding, “We continue to press Iran to choose diplomacy and de-escalation instead.”

“The United States remains committed to a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA. We are prepared to conclude a deal on the basis of the understandings we negotiated with our European allies in Vienna over many months. Such a deal has been available since March, but we can only conclude negotiations and implement it if Iran drops its additional demands that are extraneous to the JCPOA,” Blinken said, as quoted by CNN. 

Meanwhile, an unnamed senior White House official has told CNN that the move by Tehran “is very unwelcome and will make everything more difficult. But we would not go as far as to say this is the beginning of the end.” 

On Wednesday, the U.S. National Security Advisor said it views the issue of Iran's compliance with the IAEA separately from the negotiations over a return to the JCPOA.

“But there is, in our view, a deal on the table that would effectuate a compliance-for-compliance return to the JCPOA without dealing with extraneous issues. That deal is available to Iran. They should take it. If they don't, that's on them,” Jake Sullivan told reporters, when asked whether Iran deactivating the two IAEA cameras would impact resuming talks over a return to the nuclear deal.

These remarks come at a time when Iran’s foreign minister says Tehran has offered new initiatives, mostly after the issuance of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors’ resolution. 

“We in the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran are determined to reach a good, strong and lasting agreement, but an agreement that respects our red lines and the dignity of the Iranian people,” Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in his meeting with the Iranians living in India on Wednesday.

“We sent a message to the other side two days ago that if the other side seeks the path of threat and resolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not sit idly by. During the exchange of messages with the Americans to open the path of diplomacy, in a completely logical and wise behavior, we presented new initiatives in the past two days. The package that we did not implement within the framework of the law approved by the Majlis (parliament) could be implemented by the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran) within a few hours, but if we want to follow the diplomatic and political path, many initiatives have been taken so far,” he noted. 

As repeatedly mentioned by Tehran’s senior officials, Iran has never had any demands that are beyond the 2015 nuclear deal. 

Escaping forward is a familiar tactic in politics, often used by the senior American officials and negotiators since the beginning of the Vienna talks in April 2021. Whenever there is a breakthrough in the negotiations, the Americans throw in an issue which is totally unrelated to the agenda of the negotiations. 

A reminder for the Americans: The technical aspects of the nuclear issue in Vienna has been closed for over 4 months, and negotiations are underway to find a solution to –once and for all- end the trend of unilateral and illegal sanctions imposed on Iran, mostly by the United States. If the Biden administration is willing to turn its back to its own campaign slogan, it is up to him, but it must remember that it cannot speak of goodwill, ever again! Anthony Blinken would better be off reading Iran’s new initiatives with great care, and respond “in time, and appropriately.”