Iran Won’t Continue Nuclear Talks Until New Government in Place
Iran will not enter into a new round of negotiations on renewing its commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal until its president-elect, Ebrahim Raisi, enters office, Reuters reported citing an unnamed diplomatic source. Raisi is considered a hard-liner who is not likely to rejoin the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, unlike the more moderate current president, Hassan Rouhani, who on Wednesday publicly called for a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, which offers a rollback on crippling sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program.
A sixth round of negotiations in Vienna to finalize the deal, which first began in April, ended last month and a new round has not yet been scheduled. Raisi will enter office on Aug. 5, at which point he will begin to organize and announce his new government.
A USState Department spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that Iran had asked for more time because of its presidential transition.
Iran has been breaching the deal since the US left it in 2018, though it has been more public about it in recent months.
