SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
'Critical' to conclude Iran nuclear talks this week: France
Paris, Feb 28 (AFP) Feb 28, 2022
France said on Monday it was "critical" that negotiators trying to restore a 2015 deal over Iran's nuclear programme reach agreement this week.

All sides have signalled progress in the talks being held in Vienna, but Iran has said that the West still needs to decide on some key issues.

"There is a critical urgency to conclude the negotiations this week," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

Parties to the 2015 deal saw it as the best way to stop the Islamic republic from building a nuclear bomb -- a goal Tehran has always denied.

Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri has returned to Vienna after going home last Wednesday for consultations, during which talks continued at the level of experts in Vienna.

The negotiations to revive the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), involve Iran as well as France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China directly, and the United States indirectly.

The 2015 agreement gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme, but the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump who reimposed heavy economic sanctions.

That prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.

During the Vienna talks, Iran has repeatedly called for guarantees from the US administration of President Joe Biden that there will be no repeat of Trump's pullout.

State Department Spokesman Ned Price said Monday that the talks are at a "decisive consequential moment" and that the United States wants to see "additional clarity in the coming days" on Tehran's position.

Price noted that Iran's nuclear advances could soon render "meaningless" key benefits of the JCPOA.

"We are prepared to walk away if Iran displays intransigence to making progress," he said, noting that the US and allies have a Plan B readied if the talks fail.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
BlackSky plans new satellite network for large-scale AI-driven Earth observation
Meteosat-12 begins prime service delivering enhanced weather data for Europe
Satellite expands Chinas disaster warning network through global electromagnetic monitoring

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Unprecedented new device at PPPL will help to unravel the mysteries of the universe
New Zealand targets leadership in superconducting space tech with new research alliance
Boeing says focus at air show on 'supporting customers', not orders

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Building - and delivering - a nuclear weapon
Spain pushes back against mooted 5% NATO spending goal
Khamenei vows Iran will never surrender, hypersonic missiles target Israel

24/7 News Coverage
Ethical and legal clarity urged as planetary defense faces asteroid threats
Millennium Space Ships TRACERS Spacecraft to Launch Site for NASA Mission
"If we want truly intelligent robots, improving the design of their bodies is essential."



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.