French President Emmanuel Macron says it is now up to Iran to decide whether a 2015 nuclear pact can be revived amid signs of momentum toward an agreement is building.
Speaking to reporters during a trip to Algeria on August 26, Macron declined to speculate on the chances of an agreement being reached but said a deal based on the terms presented by the EU would be "better than no agreement."
"Now the ball is in Iran's court," Macron said.
After the EU sent the proposed text to both Tehran and Washington in late July, Iran responded with several comments last week.
Washington formally responded to Tehran's comments on the draft text two days ago, with Iranian officials saying they are now reviewing the U.S. response.
Washington has said it was encouraged by Iran appearing to drop some of its demands such as the lifting of the terrorism designation for Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) but added there were still outstanding issues that must be resolved.
Iran reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015 with the United States, France, Germany, Britain, Russia, and China. The deal saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium under the watch of UN inspectors in exchange for the lifting of most economic sanctions.
In 2018, Washington unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear pact under then-President Donald Trump, reintroducing crippling sanctions. Iran reacted by gradually backtracking on its obligations under the deal, such as uranium enrichment.
Negotiators from Iran, Russia, and the EU -- as well as the United States, indirectly -- resumed talks over Tehran’s nuclear deal on August 4 in Vienna after a months-long standstill in negotiations.
Iran has sought to obtain guarantees that no future U.S. president would renege on the JCPOA if it were revived.
However, President Joe Biden cannot provide such ironclad assurances because the deal is a political understanding rather than a legally binding treaty.