MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. The three European states participating in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action can exert diplomatic efforts and play a fruitful role in persuading Washington to resume compliance with this agreement, analyst Adlan Margoyev, of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the Russian Foreign Ministry’s MGIMO university, told an online conference devoted to the situation involving the Iranian nuclear program.

"True, at the moment the Europeans find it far easier to create an impression they play a constructive role at the negotiations, because by and large they have mutual understanding with the current US administration. The Europeans will demonstrate their diplomatic activity," Margoyev said. "The EU’s representative as the chairperson of the joint commission can play a role in convening a meeting of the quintet [Russia, Britain, China, France and Iran] on the EU platform and then conduct negotiations on the United States’ return to the joint commission, and possibly at this phase to draft a roadmap for return to the nuclear deal.

At the same time Margoyev said that neither one of the three European countries or the EU in general could be expected to play some special role in handling this problem.

"The issue of the day is to negotiate an effective return to the JCPOA. It is to be hoped that the Europeans will be able to play a constructive role," he added.

Margoyev stressed that after the United States’ unilateral pullout from the deal the European participants have failed to display their ability to settle the situation, thus leaving the Iranian side disappointed.

June 18 deadline

Margoyev pointed to some hindrances in the way of returning to the original version of the JCPOA. After its pullout from the deal Washington introduced new restrictions concerning not only the Iranian nuclear program, but also the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s top officials. Iran demands complete elimination of all sanctions that were imposed by the administration of the US former president, Donald Trump.

The analyst believes that currently the West’s credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of the Iranian people is at stake. Without promptly compensating for the harm caused to the agreement it would be impossible to hope for achieving any agreements with Iran in the near or medium term.

"We will lose Iran at the negotiating table for decades, possibly more," Margoyev warned.

In his opinion it is essential to achieve the United States’ confirmation of its return to the JCPOA without any extra diplomatic moves or debates. In March there must follow efforts to draft a roadmap for Washington’s return to the deal and Iran’s full compliance. And the period from April to June 18, the day when Iran will hold a presidential election, would the period of active work on this issue, the analyst believes.

Margoyev speculated that even if some procedures are not completed by then, but there is the understanding the agreement will be operational and have a future, Iran’s spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will become certain that the plan works and the Trump administration was an anomaly.

"If an attempt to return to the JCPOA is fast-tracked, the chances for successful diplomacy with Iran in the future will be far greater," the analyst concluded.