PARIS, France – Britain, France and Germany on Saturday warned against moves to “exploit” the Iran nuclear talks – a tacit warning to Russia, which has allegation of delay in settlement To take advantage of his invasion of Ukraine.
Negotiators in Vienna said on Friday they had halted talks despite nearly sealing a deal to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to control Iran’s nuclear activities.
The blow came as Russia said it was seeking a guarantee that Western sanctions imposed on its economy following its invasion of Ukraine would not affect its trade with Iran.
“No one should try to take advantage of the JCPOA talks to obtain assurances apart from the JCPOA,” spokesmen from the British, French and German foreign ministries – the three European parties to the talks – said on Saturday.
“This threatens the collapse of the agreement, depriving the Iranian people of sanctions and the international community of necessary assurances on Iran’s nuclear program,” he said.
The current round of talks began in late November between Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran and Russia in the Austrian capital Vienna, with the US participating indirectly.
TV cameras in front of the ‘Grand Hotel Vienna’ where nuclear talks take place in closed rooms on June 20, 2021 in Vienna, Austria. (AP Photo/Florian Schroeter)
After the talks stopped on Friday, the US put the ball in the court of Iran and Russia.
“We believe we can achieve mutual benefit on compliance… [if] Those decisions are made in places like Tehran and Moscow,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, told reporters outside the negotiating site that he rejected “attempts to put all the blame on the Russian Federation”, stressing that the other sides of the talks “need extra time”. the wanted.”
The purpose of the JCPOA was to ensure that Iran would not be able to develop nuclear weapons.
Russian Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mikhail Ulyanov speaks to reporters before the start of the quarterly Board of Governors meeting at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna on March 7, 2022. (Joe Chalmers/AFP)
This came to light when former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran, defying the sanctions set out in the deal on its nuclear activity.
“A fair and comprehensive deal is ready for conclusion,” the European statement said on Saturday.
“It is our understanding that Iran and the US have worked hard to resolve the final bilateral issues and therefore we stand ready to conclude this deal now.”
