US Official: Only a Few Weeks Remain to Reach Agreement with Iran
A senior State Department official announced that negotiations to revive the JCPOA have entered the final phase, with only a few weeks remaining to reach an agreement. He stated that after that, returning to the JCPOA will no longer be possible.
The United States is intensifying pressure to reach an agreement as quickly as possible in negotiations to revive the JCPOA (nuclear agreement) with Iran.
According to the German news agency, a senior State Department official said on Monday, February 11 (January 31) local time in Washington that atomic negotiations with Iran cannot continue indefinitely in order to make progress in talks.
He said this is not about “threats” or “artificial deadlines,” but rather about a request that has been communicated indirectly to Iran for a long time.
The unnamed senior official continued: “Now is the time for political decisions.” For Iran as well, the time has come to clarify its position on whether it is ready to return to the JCPOA or not.
He said that otherwise, we know how we must deal with this matter.
This State Department official emphasized that only a few weeks remain to reach an agreement, and after that, returning to this agreement will no longer be possible.
The eighth round of JCPOA revival negotiations in the Austrian capital, which began on December 27, has been subject to a several-day pause since Saturday so that negotiators can return to their capitals for consultations and receive instructions.
It has been reported that this action marks the negotiations entering the final phase. Germany, France, and Britain have been mediating with Russia and China for months to save the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States.
Efforts are underway to lift US economic sanctions while, in return, placing further restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program.
The United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 during Donald Trump’s presidency.
The senior State Department official further emphasized in an interview with Reuters that the best approach currently is to have direct talks between the United States and Iran over reviving the JCPOA. He added: “If Iran is ready for direct talks with the United States, the United States is also ready.”
Source: DW
