Iran nuclear deal ‘close’ but not certain
‘We are definitely not there yet.’
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States (US) said Thursday that “a possible deal” on a new Iranian nuclear accord is close but several sticking points have prevented an agreement and time is running out.
Negotiators meeting in Vienna, Austria to try and salvage the 2015 nuclear deal, which is meant to prevent Tehran from acquiring an atomic bomb, have made “significant progress,” State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter told reporters, echoing other nations in recent weeks.
“We are close to a possible deal, but a number of difficult issues still remain unsolved,” she said.
“We will not have a deal unless we resolve quickly the remaining issues,” she added.
However, “if Iran shows seriousness, we can and should reach an understanding of mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) within days,” she said, using the acronym for the 2015 accord.
Enrique Mora, the European Union’s coordinator for the talks, also said they were in the “final stages.”
“Some relevant issues are still open and success is never guaranteed,” he tweeted, adding “we are definitely not there yet.”
The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed in 2015, secured sanctions relief for Iran in return for strict curbs on its nuclear program.
The agreement was between Iran on one side and Germany, China, the US, France, Britain and Russia on the other.
The agreement unraveled when former US president Donald Trump withdrew from it, with Israeli encouragement, in 2018.