Washington/Brussels/Tehran | Iran has rejected a European invitation to attend direct talks with the US over a return to the nuclear deal that Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, but says it will continue “consultations” through other channels.
The decision is a blow to the Biden administration, which had said it would attend talks with Tehran under EU auspices in a bid to revive the multi-party accord. That pact placed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Both Washington and Tehran are out of compliance with the 2015 accord and have demanded the other take the first step to return to full compliance.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Sunday (Monday AEDT) that the timing was not “appropriate” for such a meeting because “there is still no change in the US position and behaviour”.
The White House said that it was disappointed but “ready to re-engage in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance with [the deal’s] commitments”.
“We will be consulting with our P5+1 partners on the best way forward,” a spokesperson said, referring to the six other deal signatories.
The rejection highlights how difficult it will be to agree on what steps are needed to orchestrate a return to the deal.
Read the article by Katrina Manson, Michael Peel and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in the Financial Review.