Iran says not to wait ‘forever’ for nuke deal if US fails to make decision

Tehran will not wait “forever” for a possible nuclear deal if the US fails to make a decision, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News

The US has already “walked away” from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Khatibzadeh tweeted in response to his US counterpart’s remark on Monday that Washington is ready to withdraw from the Vienna talks if Tehran becomes tough, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Everyone has its own plan B, though US’ has proven hollow. Blusters and bluffs have/will not work. Decisions do,” he noted.

“A deal is at hand, if the White House makes its mind. Iran is willing, but will not wait forever,” he added.

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Iran signed the original nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015. However, then US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed Washington’s unilateral sanctions on Tehran, which prompted the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments and advance its halted nuclear programme.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties, namely Britain, China, France, Russia plus Germany, with the US indirectly involved in the talks, to revive the landmark deal.