DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran and the United States on Tuesday launched indirect talks in Qatar aimed at finding a way to salvage Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani, along with Tehran’s local ambassador, met with EU official Enrique Mora in Doha after meeting Qatari officials. Mora will deliver a message between the Americans and the Iranians.
US Special Representative for Iran Rob Malle arrived in Qatar on Monday night ahead of talks. The US embassy in Qatar said Mali met with Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and discussed “joint diplomatic efforts to resolve issues with Iran”, but immediately declined to give any other details about his visit. refused.
Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it “welcomed” to host the talks. It said the talks aim to “reset the deal in a way that supports and enhances security, stability and peace in the region and opens new horizons for broader regional cooperation and dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Is.”
Iran and world powers agreed to a nuclear deal in 2015, with Tehran substantially limiting its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the accord, raising tensions in the wider Middle East and sparking a series of attacks and incidents.
Negotiations in Vienna about reviving the deal have been on a “pause” since March. Since the collapse of the deal, Iran has been running advanced centrifuges and has a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iran’s nuclear chief confirmed on Tuesday that Iran has begun installing a new cascade of advanced centrifuges at its underground Fordo facility, during talks called in Doha.
The International Atomic Energy Agency previously reported that Iran was planning to enrich uranium through a new series of 166 advanced IR-6 centrifuges at the site. Cascades are a group of centrifuges that work together to enrich uranium more quickly.
“We will follow the measures as planned,” Eslami said, without specifying at what stage the new waterfall will prosper.
Earlier this month, Iran removed 27 IAEA surveillance cameras to pressure the West to strike a deal. The IAEA’s director-general warned that it could deal a “deadly blow” to the deal as Tehran enriches uranium closer to weapons-grade levels.
Non-proliferation experts have warned that Iran has enriched enough up to 60% purity – a small technological step up from weapons-grade levels of 90% – to create a nuclear weapon, should it decide to do so.
Iran insists that its program is for peaceful purposes, although UN experts and Western intelligence agencies say Iran had an organized military nuclear program as far back as 2003.
Analysts say it will still take Iran more time to build a nuclear bomb, analysts say, though they warn that Tehran’s progress makes the program more dangerous. Israel has threatened in the past that it would conduct a preemptive strike to deter Iran – and is already suspected in a series of recent killings targeting Iranian officials.
