The newly appointed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on 27 August that attempts to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, will only be acceptable once the rights of the Islamic Republic and its people are guaranteed.

During a phone conversation with the European Union’s (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Borrell, Abdollahian said that “for Iran, a negotiation that has tangible and practical results and is accompanied by securing the rights and interests of the people is acceptable.”

He went on to emphasize that Tehran is committed to “dialogue and constructive interaction within the framework of balanced diplomacy.”

For his part, Borrell congratulated the Foreign Minister on his new post and insisted the Islamic Republic set a date for a return to negotiations in Vienna, which seek to restore the JCPOA after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed major economic sanctions against Iran.

Since Joe Biden’s arrival to the White House, his administration has sought to rejoin the nuclear agreement, but Tehran argues that as Washington violated the terms of the original agreement, it should fall to the US to take the first step back into compliance with the deal by removing its economic sanctions.

During their conversation, Abdollahian and Borrell also spoke about the unraveling situation in Afghanistan, with Iran’s new foreign policy chief saying that the solution to the crisis is in the creation of “an inclusive government that reflects the ethnic and demographic composition of the country.”

Abdollahian pointed out that while Iran is home to over three and a half million Afghans, the expected refugee crisis is an issue that will need the attention of the entire international community.