World powers pressured Iran on Friday to reverse its recent atomic activities that violate the 2015 nuclear deal, The Associated Press reports.
However, a Chinese official said the world powers stopped short of deciding on whether to proceed with a move that could see the case brought before the UN Security Council and a “snapback” of sanctions that had been lifted under the accord.
The official, Fu Cong, told reporters after the meeting in Vienna that brought together Iran with the five powers remaining in the deal that China had argued against invoking the so-called dispute resolution mechanism of the agreement.
“Iran has made it very clear that all the actions are reversible and that they are ready to come back to full compliance,” he told reporters, according to AP.
Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018.
Most recently, the Islamic Republic restarted uranium enrichment at the underground Fordow facility in violation of the deal.
Tehran's violations are an attempt to pressure the other world powers still signed to the deal — France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia — to offer new economic incentives to offset the effect of the American sanctions.
Iran has previously suggested it would walk back those activities if it receives the economic incentives it needs.
Iranian representative Abbas Araghchi told reporters following Friday’s meeting that he thought the world powers "are interested to find practical solutions so they can continue their economic cooperation with Iran."
