‘Time running out’ for nuclear talks

PROPOSALS submitted by Iran at talks in Vienna last week aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal fall well short of what is needed, France said on Tuesday, adding that time was running out with Iran’s atomic drive making worrying progress.

France’s comments, the latest from a Western power to express dismay about Tehran’s position upon returning to the high-stakes talks, came as Iranian media reported that a new round of negotiations would begin today (Thursday).

“The proposals presented by Iran last week do not constitute a reasonable basis that is compatible with the objective of a rapid conclusion while respecting the interests of all,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

It expressed “disappointment” that the talks failed to move forwards, after diplomats agreed on Friday to pause the discussions for several days to allow consultations in capitals.

Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday it was ready to resume nuclear talks based on the draft proposals it submitted, accusing Western powers of stalling the negotiations.

“None of the delegations present – apart from Iran – wanted the negotiations to restart on this basis,” France said.

“Time is running out then because – five and a half months after Iran halted negotiations – they still have not really resumed.”

It noted there was added urgency because “Iran is continuing its nuclear program at an extremely worrying direction”.

Talks resumed last week after a break of nearly six months, but a first round of meetings in Vienna ended with the US accusing Iran of not submitting serious proposals and warning that it would not allow Tehran to “slow walk” the negotiations, which seek to revive the 2015 accord that has been moribund since former US president Donald Trump walked out of it in 2018.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the negotiations will resume on Thursday. The timing was agreed upon by Iran’s nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri and European Union envoy Enrique Mora, the report said.

US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to re-enter the agreement so long as Iran meets key preconditions including full compliance with the deal, whose terms it has repeatedly violated by ramping up nuclear activities since Trump walked out.

Israel, which has never ruled out military action against the Iranian nuclear program, has urged world powers to halt the talks.

Western powers, Israel and pro-Washington Arabian peninsula states fear that Iran intends to develop an atomic bomb. Tehran denies this, insisting it only seeks to produce energy for its population.

The nuclear deal promised Iran step-by-step sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its atomic work, which would be under the strict supervision of the UN atomic agency.

Meanwhile, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said on Monday that the US “doesn’t see any evidence that Iran’s Supreme Leader (Ali Khamenei) has made a decision to move to weaponise” its nuclear program.

The comments from CIA Director William Burns were relayed to Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council, according to CBS News.

Last month, Iran announced it had almost doubled its stock of enriched uranium in less than a month. “We have more than 210 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20 per cent, and we’ve produced 25 kilos at 60 per cent, a level that no country apart from those with nuclear arms are able to produce,” said Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi.

Sixty per cent enrichment is a short technical step away from the 90 per cent enriched uranium needed for nuclear weapons. Under the JCPOA, Iran was barred from enriching uranium above 3.67 per cent. Iran claims it only enriches uranium for medical purposes and research.

On October 10, AEOI head Mohammad Eslami said his country had produced more than 120 kilograms of 20 per cent of enriched uranium, in theory allowing the manufacture of medical isotopes to diagnose certain cancers.

Tehran has progressively abandoned its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal since Trump pulled Washington out in 2018, prompting Washington to impose fresh sanctions in response.

Some analysts believe the enrichment is a negotiation tactic in the ongoing Vienna talks.

Burns concurred on Monday that “the Iranians have not been taking the negotiation seriously at this point” before adding, “we’ll see soon enough about how serious they are.”