Iran extends deadline to save nuclear deal
Iran has asked European countries to propose solutions by the end of May to mitigate the consequences of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
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Inside an Iranian nuclear plant. Photo:Press TV. |
After a meeting on May 25 in Vienna, Austria, between Iran and the countries that signed the nuclear deal, including China, Russia, France, Britain, and Germany, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations continued with the remaining signatories "to see if they can offer us a package of benefits if the US increases sanctions."AFPreport
Araghchi said Iran required "practical solutions" to address its concerns over oil exports, banking flows and foreign investment. "The next step is to find a way to secure the package of benefits," he said.
According to the Iranian deputy minister, talks will continue in the coming weeks, "especially at the expert level", after which Iran will decide whether to stay in the agreement or not.
"We understand that Europe, Russia and China are serious and they all acknowledge that the survival of the nuclear deal depends on Iran's interests being respected," he stressed.
A senior European Union (EU) official said after the meeting that the bloc could not "provide guarantees but could create the necessary conditions for Iran to maintain the benefits under the signed nuclear deal, protect our own interests and continue to develop legitimate business with Iran".
"We are looking at many solutions to mitigate the consequences of the US withdrawal from the agreement," the unnamed official said, warning that "there are things that will take more time."
Russian representative Mikhail Ulyanov expressed optimism when declaring that the parties have every chance to succeed, as long as they maintain political will. "I must say that the Iran nuclear deal is a great international asset, it does not belong to the United States but to the entire international community," he emphasized.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that he was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed under President Barack Obama. Trump said that the deal was not strong enough to eliminate Iran's nuclear ambitions. In response, Tehran threatened to restart its uranium enrichment program at "industrial" levels if the agreement signed in 2015 collapsed.
