TEHRAN - There is still time for the three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear accord to come to a solid and long-lasting agreement by revitalizing the multilateral agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said.

Abdollahian held two hours of talks with Josep Borrell, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union on the sidelines of the second regional summit on Iraq held in the Jordanian capital of Amman on December 20.

Borrell is the coordinator of the talks intended to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In a post that was displayed on his Twitter page late on Friday, Amir Abdollahian wrote he had spoken with Borrell about the next steps in the course of negotiations to lift sanctions on Iran by resurrecting the JCPOA.

Amir Abdollahian went on to say that Iran's window of opportunity for an agreement on restoring the JCPOA is open, but it will not last forever.

"The window of accord is open on the part of Iran, but not forever," Amir Abdollahian tweeted. 

Negotiations to save the JCPOA began in Vienna, Austria, in April 2021. Iran entered the talks with intention to see how serious the Biden administration was serious about rejoining the agreement that was abandoned by the Trump administration in May 2018.

However, due to Washington's steadfast stance in refusing to lift all of the sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the previous U.S. administration, the talks have been at a stalemate since August. 

Iran asserts that in order for the JCPOA to be restored, the opposite party must provide assurances that it would stick to its end of the agreement.

Writing an article on the official website of the European Union on December 22, Borrell said “there is no alternative”. The EU’s chief diplomat added, “Those who think otherwise simply fool themselves.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that his country prefers diplomacy with Tehran in dealing with the JCPOA. 

Tehran has been saying that revitalizing the agreement is contingent upon a Washington decision.

“We continue to believe, for example, on Iran’s nuclear program that the best way to deal with this challenge, to deal with this threat is through diplomacy,” Blinken told reporters. He added, “We’ve continued to believe that the most effective way, the most durable way to do that was through diplomacy.” 

Iran renews call for settling Ukraine conflict

The Iranian foreign minister also advocated for a political resolution to the Ukraine conflict in other tweets.

On February 24, following Kiev's failure to fulfill the provisions of the Minsk accords and Moscow's recognition of the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Russia began what it refers to as a "special military operation" in Ukraine with the stated goal of "de-Nazifying" the nation.

Since the outbreak of the conflict, the U.S. and its European allies have supplied Kiev with significant quantities of heavy weapons and imposing waves of unprecedented economic penalties against Moscow. 

According to the Kremlin, the war will continue longer due to the sanctions and Western military support.

The Ukrainian government maintains that despite the influx of financial and military backing, notably from Washington, more is still required to tip the balance in Ukraine's favor in the conflict.

Washington formally declared on December 9 that it would be sending Kiev a new armament package that will include anti-drone and air defense equipment.

The anticipated $275 million assistance package apparently includes rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm ammunition, Humvee vehicles, and generators. A total of $20 billion worth of armaments, including artillery ammunition, ammo for NASAMS air defense systems, and ammunition for HIMARS, have also been sent by the United States to Ukraine.

Amir Abdollahian also emphasized that Washington is not in a position lecturing other countries about human rights.

Iran's foreign minister noted that the tragedies at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, as well as the atrocities committed against women and children in Yemen and Afghanistan, would not give the United States the right to preach others.