WASHINGTON – The United States cautioned Iran on Saturday that it would not be allowed to “slow walk” international negotiations over its nuclear programme while ramping up its nuclear operations – but stopped short of shutting down talks.
The warning comes a day after Washington slammed Iran, claiming that talks with international powers had broken down because Tehran “does not appear to be serious.”
“Iran did not exhibit the stance of a government genuinely considering a speedy return” to the 2015 agreement intended at reining down its nuclear programme, said a senior US administration official speaking after returning from Vienna, where discussions resumed last week.
“We cannot tolerate a situation in which Iran advances its nuclear programme while slow walking its nuclear diplomacy,” the person added, repeating a previous warning by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and mirroring worries expressed by some of the Europeans participating in the negotiations.
The seventh round of nuclear talks in Vienna concluded on Friday after five days, with delegates returning to their respective capitals and likely to return to Austria next week.
Following the election of ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi in June, Iran suspended the discussions.
The person stated that the US had demonstrated patience by permitting a five-month gap in the process, but that the Iranians were “continuing to advance their nuclear programme in highly aggressive ways” during that period.
He said that when Tehran returned to the table on Monday, it did so “with ideas that walked back any of the compromises that Iran had presented over the six rounds of discussions.”
He accused Iran of attempting to “pocket all of the compromises that others, particularly the United States, had made and then ask for more.”