They 'left the deal': Iran says US should 'take first step' in revival of 2015 nuclear deal
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As for Iran, its top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said Washington should take the initiative to revive the 2015 nuclear deal since it was the one that left the deal
With Iran digging in and its negotiating partners openly expressing frustration and pessimism, the long-delayed resumption of nuclear talks has gotten off to a rough start.
The United States said last week after five days of negotiations in Vienna that Iran did not seem serious.
As for Iran, its top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said Washington should take the initiative to revive the 2015 nuclear deal since it was the one that left the deal.
Bagheri Kani said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not budge on its demands for the lifting of sanctions as part of the restoration of the nuclear deal, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA.
Iran has been accused of backtracking on its previous promises by European diplomats. Iran's commitment to the nuclear deal has been questioned even by Russia, a country that has strong ties with Iran.
Israel, which is an outside observer and has a stake in the outcome of the talks, has stepped up its rhetoric and is sending two top security officials to Washington for consultations.
"I call on every country negotiating with Iran in Vienna to take a strong line and make it clear to Iran that they cannot enrich uranium and negotiate at the same time," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday.
"Iran must begin to pay a price for its violations."
In the end, last week's talks produced one positive outcome: an agreement to continue talking.
These talks in Vienna ended a five-month hiatus and were the first to be attended by Iran's new hard-line government.
It will become clearer when negotiators reconvene in the coming days if the wide gaps seen last week are merely posturing or a sign of an increasingly serious crisis.
Iran and six world powers are seeking to revive their 2015 nuclear agreement. The then-President Barack Obama spearheaded that agreement, which gave Iran relief from crippling sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Watch | Diplomats back at the table for Iran nuclear talks
Three years later, however, President Donald Trump, with the encouragement of then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, withdrew from the agreement, causing it to unravel.
Iranian nuclear activities have intensified since then, as it has amassed a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that goes far beyond what was allowed under the nuclear agreement.
The continued advancements in Iran's atomic program have raised the stakes despite Iran's claims that its activities are peaceful.