- A senior US official said Iran’s nuclear program was approaching “breakout” toward nuclear weapons.
- The official said Iran’s enrichment program was close to producing enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon.
- The US official said not all details had been resolved in a potential agreement.
Washington: A senior US official said on Monday time is running out for nuclear negotiations with Iran and urged Tehran to agree to direct talks to negotiate a deal.
Speaking of the background, the official said Iran’s nuclear program was approaching “breakout” toward nuclear weapons capability, leaving only “weeks” to reach an agreement that would put the program on hold and would relax sanctions against the country.
“I think we are at the point where some of the most crucial political decisions need to be made by all parties” in talks to finalize the 2015 agreement with Iran, the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and to revive Russia. said the official.
“If our goal is to reach an agreement quickly, the optimal way to do that, in any negotiation, is for the parties most at stake to meet directly,” the official said, referring to the United States and Iran.
“That has been our view from the beginning: we are willing to meet Iran if they are willing to meet us.”
The official said Iran’s enrichment program was close to producing enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon.
It would be “deeply unfortunate” if the two sides did not have direct talks, “given how little time is left, given how critical the decisions have to be made,” the official said.
The latest round of talks in Vienna to rescue the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, was shelved last week, with the European Union coordinator calling for “political decisions” to break the deadlock.
The original deal had eased Tehran’s sanctions in return for curbing its nuclear program.
But after the United States withdrew and re-imposed sanctions under Donald Trump in 2018, Iran began to ramp up nuclear activities dramatically.
Joe Biden’s presidency helped revive the negotiations, but Washington only participated indirectly, forcing the Europeans to meet with the Iranians.
A week ago, Iran first said it was open to direct negotiations with the United States, which quickly declared its willingness to talk “urgently”.
The US official said Monday that not all details had been resolved in a potential agreement.
“But we are willing to make those choices,” the official said.
“We can see a path to a deal if those decisions are made and if it’s done quickly.”
