Iran has been accused of making “maximalist demands” in the latest failed round of talks on reviving the nuclear non-proliferation agreement at a heavy session of the UN Security Council, at which it was widely acknowledged that the negotiations – and the entire 2015 deal Were on the verge of collapse.
Iranian and US officials, with the EU acting as mediators, held two-day talks in Doha in an attempt to break a month-long stalemate, but no progress was made on Iran’s central demand that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be removed from US sanctions and its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
“Iran not only did not accept the proposal at the table, but also added more issues that do not fall within the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] with maximalist and unrealistic demands, “French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Riviere said on Thursday.
Wider negotiations have stalled since March, but recent new restrictions on UN weapons inspectors – as well as Iran’s acceleration in uranium enrichment – have brought a sudden urgency to the crisis. Western leaders will have to take decisive steps, including re-imposing UN sanctions in weeks, if the nuclear inspectorate continues to fail to meet its monitoring responsibilities.
During a special session of the UN Security Council, Barbara Woodward, the UK’s envoy, warned Iran that no better deal would be offered.
Olof Skug, the EU’s ambassador to the United Nations, said: “I am worried that we may not reach the finish line. My message is: take the opportunity to make a deal based on the text on the table. The time to overcome the last unresolved issues, conclude a deal and fully recover [agreement] is now.”
The deadlock context – Iran’s growing enrichment and ballistic missile activity – is also of concern to European leaders.
Woodward warned: “Iran’s nuclear program has never been more advanced than it is today, and Iran’s nuclear escalation is a threat to international peace and security.”
“At the current enrichment rate, by the end of this year, Iran is likely to have enough enriched material to quickly produce highly enriched uranium at 90% enrichment for several nuclear devices,” she said. “Iran also continues to develop ballistic missiles in a way that is incompatible with UN resolutions.
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In a joint statement, Germany, France and the United Kingdom said Iran was testing ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology. The statement said: “Just a few days ago, Iran conducted another test of a space launch vehicle that contains dual-use technology that can be used to build long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Iranian Ambassador Majid Taht-Ravanci said the agreement was “not out of scope”, but that success required significant changes in US policy, particularly with regard to sanctions. He also said that guarantees were needed that the United States would not leave the deal again, as they did under Donald Trump in 2018.
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