Iran makes maximalist demands as Vienna nuclear talks open

TEHRAN – Iran struck a maximalist code Tuesday aft conscionable 1 time of restarted talks successful Vienna implicit its tattered atomic deal, suggesting everything discussed successful erstwhile rounds of diplomacy could beryllium renegotiated.

Iranian authorities media reported the comments by Ali Bagheri, Iran’s apical atomic negotiator, and Mohammed Eslami, the country's civilian atomic chief. It remained unclear, however, whether this represented an opening gambit by Iran's caller hard-line president oregon signaled superior occupation for those hoping to reconstruct the 2015 woody that saw Tehran strictly bounds its enrichment of uranium successful speech for the lifting of economical sanctions.

The United States near the woody nether then-President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” run against Tehran successful 2018. Since the deal’s collapse, Iran present enriches tiny amounts of uranium up to 60% purity — a abbreviated measurement from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran besides spins precocious centrifuges barred by the accord, and its uranium stockpile present acold exceeds the accord’s limits.

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President Joe Biden has said America's consenting to re-enter the deal, though the negotiations proceed with U.S. officials not successful the country arsenic successful erstwhile rounds of talks since Washington's withdrawal.

Speaking to Iranian authorities television, Bagheri referred to the erstwhile rounds of talks lone arsenic a “draft.”

“Drafts are taxable to negotiation. Therefore thing is agreed connected unless everything has been agreed on,” helium said. "On that basis, each discussions that took spot successful the six rounds are summarized and are taxable to negotiations. This was admitted by each parties successful today’s gathering arsenic well.”

Another authorities TV conception saw Bagheri successful Vienna besides saying Iran demanded a “guarantee by American not to enforce caller sanctions” oregon not re-impose antecedently lifted sanctions.

Eslami, speaking to Iran's state-run IRNA quality agency, reiterated that demand.

“The talks (in Vienna) are astir instrumentality of the U.S. to the woody and they person to assistance each sanctions and this should beryllium successful signifier and verifiable,” helium said. He did not elaborate.

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Talks successful Vienna resumed Monday aft an implicit five-month hiatus arsenic hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi took power. Raisi, a protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, campaigned connected getting sanctions lifted. However, chap hard-liners wrong Iran's theocracy agelong person criticized the atomic woody arsenic giving excessively overmuch distant to the West.

Iran's comments Tuesday stood successful stark opposition to the optimistic code offered by the European Union diplomat starring the talks.

“I consciousness affirmative that we tin beryllium doing important things for the adjacent weeks,” Enrique Mora told reporters connected Monday.

Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's apical typical to the talks, besides tweeted Tuesday that the resumption of negotiations was “quite successful.”

“Participants decided to proceed without hold the drafting process successful 2 moving groups - connected sanctions lifting and atomic issues," helium wrote. "This enactment starts immediately.”

Israel, Iran's regional, nuclear-armed rival, kept up its ain unit amid the negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, successful a video code delivered to nations negotiating successful Vienna, warned that helium saw Iran trying to “end sanctions successful speech for astir nothing.”

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“Iran deserves nary rewards, nary bargain deals and nary sanctions alleviation successful instrumentality for their brutality,” Bennett said successful the video that helium aboriginal posted to Twitter. “I telephone upon our allies astir the world: Do not springiness successful to Iran’s atomic blackmail.”

Iran maintains its atomic programme is peaceful. However, U.S. quality agencies and planetary inspectors accidental Iran had an organized atomic weapons programme up until 2003. Nonproliferation experts fearfulness the brinkmanship could propulsion Tehran toward adjacent much utmost measures to effort to unit the West to assistance sanctions.

Making matters much difficult, United Nations atomic inspectors stay incapable to afloat show Iran’s programme aft Tehran constricted their access. A travel to Iran past week by the caput of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, failed to marque immoderate advancement connected that issue.

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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

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