The Guardian l Ali Akbar Salehi: I helped negotiate the 2015 nuclear deal. Its success depends on constructive engagement, not the destabilising policies currently being pursued

Working to negotiate agreements with the west has been a mixed experience for Iran. Often, following some hard-won engagement, some western nations, whether distracted by shortsighted political motivations or the lucrative inducements of other regional actors, walk away and allow the whole situation to return to the status quo ante.

Quite a number of such reversals have befallen Iran when engaging with the US, in particular. The latest case of hard-won progress at risk � which I believe can still be saved from failure � is the historic nuclear deal known as the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA). This was agreed in 2015 between Iran and the permanent members of the UN security council, plus Germany � the P5+1. The critical question at the present juncture is: how can we rescue this engagement and move out of the familiar vicious circle?

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