Tuesday, April 5, 2022

US, Iran spar over impasse in nuclear talks

The United States and Iran on Monday blamed each other for a weeks-long impasse that has held up a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, AFP reports.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the country's negotiators would not return to Vienna, the site of the talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), until Washington settles outstanding issues.

"We will not be going to Vienna for new negotiations but to finalize the nuclear agreement," Khatibzadeh told reporters in Tehran.

"If Washington answers the outstanding questions, we can go to Vienna as soon as possible," he said, without explaining the specific questions that remained.

"At the moment, we do not yet have a definitive answer from Washington," stated Khatibzadeh.

In Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price pushed back, suggesting it was Tehran that was not giving way to make a deal possible. READ MORE