Iran, US choices on nuclear deal 'crystallise' in Vienna

US is committed to ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and we believe diplomacy, says US envoy to UN

UNITED NATIONS:

The last few rounds of Iran nuclear deal talks in Vienna have "helped to crystallise the choices that need to be made" by Tehran and Washington to achieve a mutual return to compliance, the United States told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

"The United States is committed to ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and we believe diplomacy, in coordination with our allies and regional partners, is the best path to achieve that goal," said deputy US Ambassador to the UN Jeffrey DeLaurentis.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday urged US President Joe Biden to revive the nuclear deal without further delay.

Speaking at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting in Tehran, the president said both the US and Iran should take necessary steps to revive the deal as soon as possible.

"If Biden neglects to implement the nuclear deal, he will betray Americans' vote," he noted.

Rouhani also reminded Biden's statements about his repeated desire to return the deal.

The Iranian president reiterated that they are not after nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction, claiming that the allegations are baseless.

Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018 and went on to re-impose sanctions on Tehran lifted under the agreement in a failed push to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for a more extensive agreement.

The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the pact is formally known, placed sweeping constraints on Iran's nuclear program and created a robust inspections regime in exchange for the lifting of biting international and the US sanctions.