US says reviving Iran deal ‘far from certain’ despite EU mission

WASHINGTON: The United States said on Friday it remained uncertain if a nuclear deal with Iran can be revived after the European Union gave an upbeat assessment of a trip to Tehran.

A State Department spokesperson voiced appreciation for envoy Enrique Mora’s visit but added: "That said, at this point a deal remains far from certain." "Iran needs to decide whether it insists on extraneous conditions and whether it wants to conclude a deal quickly, which we believe would serve all sides’ interests," the spokesperson said.

"We and our partners are ready, and have been for some time. It’s now up to Iran." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell earlier told reporters in Germany that stalled negotiations with Iran have been "reopened" after Mora’s trip.

President Joe Biden favors returning to the accord scrapped by his predecessor Donald Trump but he has rejected a number of demands of Iran, notably removing the powerful Revolutionary Guards from a US terrorism blacklist.

Nuclear talks between Iran and world powers have stalled, raising concerns that the negotiations may fail, comprehensively killing the 2015 nuclear deal. If this happens, the chances of resolving the Iranian nuclear crisis and reducing hostilities between Tehran and the west will be lost for many years, while critically harming diplomatic opportunities to resolve regional crises.

The Trump administration also mounted a “maximum-pressure campaign” to actively dissuade Britain, France, Germany and other EU members from engaging in trade and business with Iran. In response to this withdrawal of the JCPOA’s agreed trade benefits, Tehran began to exceed its agreed limits both on uranium stocks and enrichment levels.