Nuclear: Tehran's positions "incompatible" with the agreement, according to Europeans
EU representative Enrique Mora (c) and Iranian negotiator Ali Bagheri (d) in Vienna on December 9, 2021. Handout EU DELEGATION IN VIENNA / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Iran has made proposals that are "
incompatible
" with the Vienna agreement on its so-called "JCPoA" nuclear program, said diplomatic officials from the three European countries involved in the discussions on the matter, France, Germany and Great Britain.
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“
At this stage, it has not yet been possible to enter into real negotiations,
” they regretted.
“
We are wasting precious time discussing (on) new Iranian positions that are incompatible with the JCPoA or go beyond what it foresees.
"
After a five-month hiatus, negotiations to save the Iran nuclear deal resumed on November 29 in Vienna.
They bring together the countries still parties to the 2015 agreement, namely the three Europeans as well as China, Russia and Iran.
►
To read also:
Iranian nuclear: negotiations resume in Vienna in a climate of ambient pessimism
A blocked file?
The United States, which
unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018
and reinstated sanctions against Tehran under President Donald Trump, is participating indirectly.
But the file seems blocked.
"
This situation is frustrating because the outlines of a fair and comprehensive agreement, allowing the lifting of all the sanctions linked to the JCPoA and responding to our non-proliferation concerns are clearly known, and this since last summer
", added the diplomats.
“
But time is running out.
In the absence of rapid progress, given the rapid advance of Iran's nuclear program, the JCPoA will very soon become an empty shell.
"
A positive development according to Tehran
Iranian chief negotiator Ali Bagheri reported progress on Sunday.
“
The two sides are close to agreeing on the issues that should be on the agenda.
This is a positive and important development because, at the beginning, they did not even agree on the issues to be negotiated,
”Mr. Bagheri told the official Iranian agency Irna.
The West, for their part, accused the Iranians of having backtracked from the spring.
American diplomacy openly suspects the enemy country of wanting to gain time at the same time to develop its nuclear program which brings it closer and closer to the bomb.
►
To read also: Iranian nuclear: "disappointed", the Europeans are worried about the turn of the negotiations
Washington has warned in recent days that it will not let Tehran adopt this attitude for much longer, and confirmed that a still unclear plan B is in preparation.
But this is the first time that a member country of the agreement has said that these are the last-ditch negotiations.
The United States "
actively
"
prepare "
alternatives
" to the Iranian nuclear deal with its allies in the event of failure of negotiations to save it, declared Tuesday the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken.
"
It will soon be too late, Iran is still not engaged in real negotiations,
" he said at a press conference in Jakarta.
(With
AFP
)
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