European Powers Warn Iran Nuclear Deal Talks Nearing ‘End of Road’

The negotiations were put on pause Friday but are expected to resume soon

European powers involved in the Vienna negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal warned Friday as the talks were put on pause that while “some technical progress” had been made, they were “rapidly reaching the end of the road.”

“There has been some technical progress in the last 24 hours, but this only takes us back nearer to where the talks stood in June,” the UK, France, and Germany said in a joint statement.

The US and its European partners want Iran to sign off on a draft agreement that was negotiated with the previous Iranian government. But Tehran has put new draft proposals forward as the Iranians seek more sanctions relief than Washington is willing to give.

Iran’s leading negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, had positive things to say about this week’s negotiations. “We have made good progress this week. We will convene a joint commission today and will continue talks after a break of a few days,” he said.

Bagheri Kani will now go back to Tehran for consultations, and the Europeans said they were “disappointed” by the pause. A date to resume the talks is not yet set, but an unnamed diplomat told Reuters they could reconvene on December 27th.

Amid negotiations, the US has ramped up the pressure on Iran by imposing new sanctions, coordinating closely with Israel, and making vague statements that could be taken as military threats. On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was working with allies on “alternatives” in case the negotiations fail.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.