United States (US) Democratic Senator Chris Murphy held a virtual meeting with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Majid Takht-Ravanchi on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing Vienna talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) and the Yemen war. Murphy and Ravanchi also talked about ways to end the current conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, and the release of American prisoners in Iran.
During their discussion, Murphy stressed the importance of revitalising the JCPOA and made the “case directly [to Ravanchi] for the Iranians to engage with seriousness and urgency in the nuclear negotiations.” However, Ravanchi maintained that the US needed to lift all sanctions on Iran before the country joins any agreement. Their meeting comes in the wake of the fourth round of intense talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna to restore the nuclear deal. This has been a priority for the Biden administration after four years of severely volatile ties between the two nations following former President Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to abandon the landmark agreement and reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran. So far, negotiators from various sides have expressed hope that the deal will be revived soon.
Murphy also discussed the ongoing war in Yemen between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and urged Iran to “pressure the Houthis” to end the conflict. While the Iranian envoy agreed with Murphy on this front, he added that any solution to the Yemeni crisis “must guarantee a ceasefire, the complete lifting of the siege of the people and the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to that country.” In a recent visit to the Middle East, Murphy said that “the ball was really in the Houthis’ court” when discussing a solution to [the] current situation, which has been going on since 2014. “If they persist with this offensive, [the Houthis] will have to answer to the world for the humanitarian catastrophe that will be created,” Murphy said during the visit.
Referring to the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, the senator told Ravanchi that it was important for Tehran to call on Hamas “to accept a ceasefire and end rocket attacks on Israel.” Ravanchi, for his part, criticised the US government for blocking a statement by the UN Security Council on the matter and emphasised that the recent conflict began as a result of the “provocation of the Zionist regime” and its killing of Palestinians. Iran has been accused of arming Hamas with military equipment, including drones and missiles.
Murphy further called on Iran to release Morad Tahbaz, a US citizen of Iranian descent, from prison. Tahbaz was arrested in 2018 in Iran by Iranian security forces and was sentenced to ten years in prison for allegedly maintaining contact with the US government. Iran has also detained other US citizens, mostly dual nationals. It is not clear if Murphy demanded the release of all US prisoners.
The US senator has been actively involved in setting US policy in the Middle East. Earlier this month, Murphy visited Qatar, Oman, and Jordan to discuss regional issues with leaders, including the war in Yemen, the Syrian crisis, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
US Senator Meets With Iran’s UN Ambassador; Discuss Nuclear Deal, Yemen
Senator Chris Murphy and Iran’s UN ambassador Majid Takht-Ravanchi also talked about ways to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, and the release of American prisoners in Iran.
May 20, 2021
US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy SOURCE: REUTERS