TEHRAN - To resurrect the 2015 nuclear agreement entails revolving the remaining issues, giving “practical guarantees” that the U.S. would not leave the deal again, removing the IRGC from the list of terrorist organizations, and totally lift all the sanctions that Washington has imposed on Iran, a senior Iranian politician said on Sunday.

Kamal Kharrazi, chief of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations (SCFR), made the remarks in a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar.

It seems that the main stumbling block to restore the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is a refusal by Washington to remove the name of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) from the list of terrorist organizations. 

“Issues like practical guarantees, lifting of sanctions, and removal of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps from the U.S. list of so-called foreign terrorist organizations are the critical points that must be resolved before any agreement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” Kharrazi asserted, Press TV reported.

Nuclear talks began in Vienna almost a year ago with the aim of bringing the U.S. into full compliance with the JCPOA. Former U.S. president Donald Trump quit the JCPOA in 2018 under his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

The administration of Joe Biden has rebuked Trump’s exit from the deal and insisted on re-entering the deal. However, so far it has failed to resolve the remaining issues, which necessitate political decisions by the White House.

Kharrazi, who was foreign minister from 1997 to 2005, also pointed to the latest developments in Lebanon and the wider West Asia region, saying, “The key to Lebanon’s problems lies in the cessation of foreign interference and holding national dialogue.”

Mikati, for his part, expressed hope for removal of all sanctions against Iran, stating that the country would play a strong role in the regional economy once the bans are lifted.

He also briefed Kharrazi on the problems facing his country and highlighted the need for national unity in the face of political and economic woes.

Addressing the Doha Forum on Sunday, Kharrazi said the IRGC must be removed from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations in order to restore the JCPOA.

The former foreign minister said the IRGC is a national army and thus its designation is unacceptable.

Iran, he said, will not back down from efforts to secure the removal of the IRGC from the list.

“The IRGC is a national army and no national army can be considered a terrorist group,” the veteran politician remarked.

He also said, “A nuclear deal is imminent, but issues depend on America’s political will. There must be guarantees that the U.S. will not withdraw from the nuclear deal once again in the future.”

Kharrazi stressed that the U.S. policy of “maximum pressure” has failed and that the Islamic Republic will need time to verify the lifting of the sanctions.