(Washington) The United States accused Tehran on Friday of being responsible for the impasse in the Vienna negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, joining the Europeans who expressed their “disappointment and concern” at the demands of the Republic Islamic.
These talks, which resumed at the beginning of the week, mark a pause from Friday and should resume in the middle of next week to allow an update on Iranian proposals, according to diplomatic sources.
“The new Iranian government did not come to Vienna with constructive proposals,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday. “We always hope for a diplomatic approach, it is always the best option”, she added. But “Iran’s approach this week has not, unfortunately, been to attempt to resolve the outstanding issues.”
More importantly, Iran has entered this new round of negotiations with a new round of nuclear provocations.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki
Ms Psaki cited a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published on Wednesday. Iranian negotiators “have still not succeeded in reaching an agreement with the IAEA to restore the cooperation and transparency which they have deteriorated in recent months,” she added.
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, warned him that if Tehran continued to develop its nuclear program by dragging out negotiations, “we will look to other options”.
“Iran does not seem serious about what it needs to do to return to compliance with the agreement, which is why we ended this round of talks in Vienna. Iran has very important decisions to take in the coming days, ”he concluded.
According to European diplomats, the delegations return this weekend to their respective capitals and the talks will resume in the middle of next week “to see if these differences can be overcome or not”, if this “gap can be closed in a realistic time” .
PHOTO LISI NIESNER, REUTERS
Spanish negotiator and diplomat for the European Union Enrique Mora speaking to the media after talks with Iran in Vienna, Austria.
Senior diplomats from France, Germany and the United Kingdom deplored Iran’s “backtracking” from the progress made in the first round of negotiations between April and June.
Tehran goes back on almost all of the compromises that had been difficult to find.
A European diplomat participating in the negotiations
Despite these harsh comments, European diplomats say they are “fully engaged in the search for a diplomatic solution”. “Time is running out,” they insist.
The stakes are high: it is to save the international agreement of 2015 supposed to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring the atomic bomb. Concluded between Iran and six great powers (United States, Russia, China, France, Germany, United Kingdom), it broke down following the unilateral withdrawal of the United States in 2018 and the reinstatement of sanctions.
In response, Tehran has freed itself from most of the limits it had imposed on its nuclear program.
The discussions in Vienna aim to bring Washington back into the fold, which is participating indirectly. The various parties parted ways in June with the hope of an imminent conclusion, but the coming to power in Iran of ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raïssi was a game-changer.
The agreement, known by its acronym JCPOA, offered Tehran the lifting of part of the sanctions stifling its economy in exchange for a drastic reduction in its nuclear program, placed under strict UN control.
Iranian side, one indicates to have made two proposals, one on “the lifting of sanctions”, the other “concerning nuclear activities”.
“Now the other side must examine these documents and prepare to negotiate with Iran on the basis of the submitted texts,” said Iran’s chief negotiator Ali Bagheri.
“Serious will”
Before leaving for Tehran, Mr. Bagheri referred to the “objections” formulated by the Europeans. “I told them that it was normal because we were not going to present documents and suggestions which correspond to their points of view”, he explained on the official agency Irna.
He also reaffirmed his country’s “serious will” to reach an agreement.
The head of Iranian diplomacy Hossein Amir-Abdollahian for his part described “the process of good but generally slow”, during a telephone interview with his European counterpart Josep Borrell. And he wanted “a change in the approach of certain parties who must abandon their threatening remarks”.
According to one of the European diplomats, “Tehran’s proposals cannot provide a basis for negotiations, it is not possible to move forward” on this ground.
In front of the Cobourg Palace, where this historic text was concluded, the Chinese ambassador wanted to be less pessimistic, evoking “substantial discussions”.
“All parties have agreed to take a short break to take instructions. It is natural and necessary, and we hope it will give new impetus to the negotiations, ”Wang Qun told reporters.