US To Deliver Response To Iranian Comments On JCPOA Today

Multiple sources have reported that the US will deliver its response to the Iranian comments on the EU proposal to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear accords today.

• Laura Rozen at Just Security: "New: US planning to send its Iran response to EU today, senior US admin official tells me. (confirming AP, WSJ, Politico)."
• WSJ's Laurence Norman: "Confirmed that US will give its response to last week's Iran demands & the final EU text today."
• Norman reports: "Some western diplomats now see a deal as likely, others think that view is premature. And while US will respond to all Iran’s issues from last week, we don’t expect much new offered, no substantial concessions."
• Assuming that the US agrees to Iranian demands, the next step is for the EU to call a Joint Commission to be attended by all signatories of the 2015 JCPOA deal for final ratification to revive the nuclear accords.
• This is far from assured. Norman writes that if the US decline to agree to Iranian comments then it sets up, "a situation where more talks may be needed or more ideas/proposals may be exchanged, prolonging the talks. But it also puts ball in EU court. Could they take the risk and call a Joint Commission to try and close a deal? As yet unclear."
• Yesterday, Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said that Iran will not allow inspections of its nuclear sites beyond those stipulated by the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear accords raising the risk of disagreement on the scope of future IAEA inspections.
• Eslami: "We are committed to inspections in the framework of the nuclear deal that are linked to nuclear restrictions which we have accepted in the past... Not one word more, not one word less.”
• Yesterday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with his Israeli counterpart Eyal Hulata to discuss Israeli objections to a deal. Israeli PM Yair Lapid tweeted that Israel would not be bound by a JCPOA and will continue to take action to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon and called on Western participants to abandon the deal.
• Hulata will meet with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman today with Iran likely to be high on the agenda.