(Vienna) The Europeans ruled on Tuesday, the day after the resumption of negotiations on Iranian nuclear power, that the next few days would make it possible to assess “the seriousness” of the Iranians and to make a decision on whether or not to continue the talks.
“If they do not show us that they are seriously engaged in this work, then we will have a problem”, warned in Vienna diplomats from France, Germany and the United Kingdom (E3), three of the States parties to the 2015 international agreement. “The next 48 hours will be very important”.
After Monday’s formal meeting, groups of experts began working on the delicate issue of US sanctions on Tuesday, before tackling Tehran’s nuclear commitments on Wednesday.
If the coordinator of the European Union Enrique Mora had expressed optimism at the end of the inaugural session, the European diplomats were more measured: “we neither heaved a sigh of relief”, nor cried disaster. , summed up one of them.
Without wanting to set “an artificial deadline”, “we do not have the luxury of indulging in social events after having waited for five months,” he continued. “We must get to work […], speed things up ”.
The diplomats said they hoped to have “by the end of the week a more precise picture”, citing a possible “rupture” of the negotiations in the absence of progress. “It will be time to reconsider our diplomatic approach, but we are not there yet.”
The 2015 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.
But the United States unilaterally left the pact in 2018 under President Donald Trump and reinstated punitive measures.
In return, the Islamic Republic, which denies wanting to acquire the bomb, has gradually abandoned its commitments.
Joe Biden’s United States, eager to return to the agreement, is indirectly participating in these discussions, which began in April before ending in June with the coming to power in Iran of ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raïssi.
During this round of talks, “we have accomplished 70 to 80% of the work, but there are still some of the more complex issues to be resolved”, stressed the European diplomats.