WASHINGTON, DC — The US warned Saturday
that it would not allow Iran to "slow walk" international
negotiations over its nuclear program while at the same time ramping up its
atomic activities.
اضافة اعلان
The warning came a day after Washington hit
out at Iran, saying talks with world powers had stalled because Tehran
"does not seem to be serious."
"We can't accept a situation in which
Iran accelerates its nuclear program and slow walks its nuclear
diplomacy," said a senior US administration official — echoing a recent
warning by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The official said Washington was not yet
planning to walk away from the indirect talks that it resumed with Tehran last
week in Vienna, but hoped Iran would return "with a serious
attitude."
"Iran did not show the posture of a
country that is seriously thinking of a rapid return" to the 2015 accord
aimed at putting curbs on its nuclear program, said the official, speaking to
reporters after returning from the Austrian capital.
The seventh round of nuclear talks ended
Friday after five days in Vienna, with delegations returning to their national
capitals and expected to go back to Austria next week.
Iran had paused the talks in June following
the election of ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi.
The official argued that the United States
had shown patience in allowing a five-month break in the process, but that
during that time the Iranians were "continuing to accelerate their nuclear
program in particularly provocative ways."
When Tehran finally returned to the table on
Monday, he said, it was "with proposals that walked back any of the
compromises that Iran had floated during the six rounds of talks."
He accused Iran of seeking to "pocket
all of the compromises that others — the US in particular — had made and then
ask for more."
The official said it was not yet known when
the European Union coordinator would reconvene the parties, but that the date
"matters far less to us than whether Iran will come back with a serious
attitude, prepared to negotiate seriously. "
At this stage, he said the US will pursue
its efforts at diplomacy — but reasserted it has "other tools" at its
disposal should negotiations fail.
The landmark 2015 nuclear accord — initially
agreed between Britain, China, France, Germany Iran, Russia and the US — began
unravelling in 2018 when then president Donald Trump pulled out and reimposed
sanctions, prompting Iran to start exceeding limits on its nuclear program the
following year.
President Joe Biden has said he wants to
re-enter the deal, and the US has been participating in this week's talks
indirectly.
Iran has always insisted that its nuclear
program is peaceful.
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