US to decide if Iran serious about nuclear talks
09 December 2021, 12:56 pm | Updated: 22 November 2024, 02:46 am
The United States will swiftly determine whether Tehran is acting in "good faith" in talks about reviving the Iran nuclear accord, a State Department spokesman said Wednesday.
"We should know in pretty short order if the Iranians are going... to negotiate in good faith," said the spokesman, Ned Price, warning that "the runway is getting very, very short for negotiations."
The European Union, which is coordinating the indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, confirmed they would resume Thursday in Vienna after a break of a few days.
US envoy Rob Malley "will plan to join the talks over the weekend," Price said.
The talks began in April but were suspended in June due to the election of a new Iranian president, only to resume last week.
After a week of negotiations, Americans and Europeans alike accused the Iranians of having backtracked since the spring, reported AFP.
Washington has warned it will not let Tehran block negotiations for much longer while developing its nuclear program at the same time, but has not yet laid out an ultimatum.
The next few days’ look set to see a last-chance diplomatic push, although it appears ever more unlikely that the talks will lead to any breakthrough.
