The US has cautioned that “gaps” remain between Washington and Tehran over a draft agreement to save the 2015 nuclear accord as President Joe Biden’s administration weighs its response to Iran’s latest negotiating position. Diplomats and analysts have said efforts to revive the deal have made progress after the EU brokered indirect talks between Washington and Tehran in Vienna this month, where they discussed what mediators described as a “final draft” of the agreement. Iran sent its response to the EU and the US last week. But Biden administration officials said Washington was still preparing its reaction to Iran’s latest position and was consulting with allies about the path forward.
“Gaps still remain, but should we reach an agreement to return to the deal, Iran would have to take many significant steps to dismantle its nuclear programme,” said a senior administration official.
The official added that Tehran had dropped its demand that Washington lift its terrorist designation of the Revolutionary Guards, a powerful arm of the Islamic republic’s security apparatus, which was imposed by former president Donald Trump. US officials said that decision means the two sides have made progress on the deal, but added that the outcome of the diplomatic efforts remains uncertain.
Mohammad Marandi, an adviser to Iran’s negotiating team, responded to US officials’ comments by saying that lifting the designation on the guards had not been a precondition for months.
In a post on social media, he also insisted that the republic’s nuclear programme would not be dismantled . Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.
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He added that no deal would be implemented before the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors permanently closes the “false accusations file” — an apparent reference to a historical probe by the UN watchdog into traces of nuclear material at three undeclared sites.
The crisis was triggered by Trump’s decision to unilaterally abandon the deal in 2018 and impose hundreds of sanctions on Iran.