Proposals submitted by Iran at talks in Vienna last week aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal fall well short of what is needed, France said on Tuesday, adding time was running out with Iran's atomic drive making worrying progress.
"The proposals presented by Iran last week do not constitute a reasonable basis that is compatible with the objective of a rapid conclusion while respecting the interests of all," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
It expressed "disappointment" that the talks failed to move forwards, after diplomats agreed on Friday to pause the discussions for several days to allow consultations in capitals. It is not clear when they will resume.
"None of the delegations present — apart from Iran — wanted the negotiations to restart on this basis," the ministry said.
"Time is running out then because — five and a half months after Iran halted negotiations — they still have not really resumed," it added.
There was added urgency because "Iran is continuing its nuclear programme at an extremely worrying direction", it said.
The United States warned after the talks that it would not allow Iran to "slow walk" the negotiations, which seek to revive the 2015 accord that has been moribund since president Donald Trump walked out of it in 2018.
His successor Joe Biden has said he is ready to re-enter the agreement so long as Iran meets key preconditions including full compliance with the deal, whose terms it has repeatedly violated by ramping up nuclear activities since Trump walked out.
Iran's foreign ministry said Monday it was ready to resume nuclear talks based on the draft proposals it submitted, accusing Western powers of stalling the negotiations.
Israel, which has never ruled out military action against the Iranian nuclear programme, urged world powers to halt the talks.
Western powers, Israel and pro-Washington Arabian peninsula states fear that Iran intends to develop an atomic bomb. Tehran denies this, insisting it only seeks to produce energy for its population.
The nuclear deal promised Iran step-by-step sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its atomic work which would be under the strict supervision of the UN atomic agency.
Iran nuclear talks to restart Thursday
Tehran (AFP) Dec 7, 2021 –
Talks aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are to resume on Thursday, Tehran's main negotiator said during a visit to Moscow.
"I deemed it necessary at this stage to consult the Russian authorities in order to continue the talks in a constructive atmosphere," Ali Bagheri, Tehran's chief nuclear negotiator, said on Tuesday according to Iranian state television's Iribnews website.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said "the talks should normally resume Thursday."
He added that he hoped they would be "positive".
The negotiations restarted on November 29 after a five-months hiatus, but diplomats agreed on Friday to pause the discussions for several days to allow consultations in capitals.
France said earlier Tuesday that proposals submitted by Iran at talks in the Austrian capital Vienna fell short of what was needed, and that time was running out.
The landmark 2015 accord aimed at putting curbs on Iran's nuclear programme to ensure it could not develop an atomic weapon, in exchange for sanctions relief for Tehran.
It was initially agreed between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
But it began unravelling in 2018 when then US president Donald Trump pulled out and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to start exceeding limits on its nuclear programme the following year.
Iran has always insisted that its nuclear programme is peaceful.
