Nuclear talks between world powers and Iran are entering the “final stretch” and leaders in Tehran must now make tough political decisions about whether to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior State Department official said Monday.
After the latest round of talks in Vienna produced progress, the negotiations have reached a critical stage, and Iran and other governments should decide whether to press ahead to clinch an agreement, the official told reporters.
The U.S., Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, which are taking part in the negotiations, “are united on this notion that we have little time, that tough decisions need to be made and now’s the time to make them,” the senior State Department official said.
The 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in return for an easing of economic sanctions. But President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. Iran has since then steadily exceeded the deal’s limits on its nuclear activity, raising concerns that it could soon have enough fissile material for an atomic bomb.
Iran denies it has any plans to build nuclear weapons.
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