US, Iran still trying to close gap on nuclear deal
The Biden administration may be considering options for a Plan B if nuclear talks fail, but backchannel diplomacy is continuing.
US officials and nonproliferation experts warn Iran needs only weeks to produce enough weapons-grade fuel to build a bomb, raising pressure on the Biden administration to secure a deal that would constrain the country’s nuclear ambitions.
The parties to the nuclear pact are expressing continued pessimism that a deal can be reached to revive the original agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). US envoy for the nuclear talks Rob Malley said last month that chances for a deal were “tenuous at best.”
But neither Washington nor Tehran has shut the door entirely on efforts to revive the Obama-era agreement, which placed limits on Iran’s nuclear capabilities in return for sanctions relief.
Iran is prepared to sign a "good deal if Washington fulfills its commitments," a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Monday.
