The US State Department cautioned on Tuesday that it’s still too early to describe progress and has condemned Iran for continuing to drag its feet despite the Russian and the Iranian optimistic takes over the latest round of nuclear talks in Vienna.
The eighth round of negotiations that resumed in Vienna on Monday is a fresh push to make progress in the efforts to revive the landmark 2015 agreement that gave Iran sanctions relief in return for curtailing its nuclear activities.
Admitting they had seen possible progress in talks with Tehran, they nonetheless joined European negotiators in pressing for urgency in rolling back Tehran’s nuclear program.
State Department spokesman Ned Price pointed that the last couple rounds of negotiations have started with Iran’s unrealistic, vague, and in some cases unconstructive positions as well as with new nuclear provocation.
Price stressed that the fundamental solution remains unchanged and that they won’t be putting up with Iran dragging its feet in the negotiations while accelerating its nuclear escalation, adding that Tehran must add real urgency in Vienna and exercise restraint in its nuclear program.
State Department spokesman noted that the US is prepared to pursue alternatives with its regional partners and allies if Iran does not demonstrate seriousness in negotiating a return to compliance with the deal that’s now defunct.
Yet, Washington still believes the best way to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is the deal the former president Trump withdrew from in 2018, imposing a slew of punishing sanctions as well as a devastating unilateral US ban on Iran selling its key export of oil.
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