High-level diplomats are meeting in Vienna to help smooth the way for the United States to rejoin the nuclear pact with Iran.
Representatives of five signatory nations to the pact — China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom — will resume talks Saturday, but America will not be among them, according to a report.
Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, speaks during a news conference in Tehran, Iran. Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe U.S. withdrew from the Obama-era deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, under President Donald Trump.
Diplomats are meeting to help smooth the way for the United States to re-join the Iran nuclear deal. Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty ImagesUnder the deal, Iran received economic benefits in exchange for cutting back on its nuclear program. Since the U.S. withdrawal from the deal, Iran has begun enriching uranium at ever higher levels.
Russian representative Mikhail UIyanov tweeted that JCPOA participants had held “informal talks” with the U.S., but Iran was “still not ready” to meet with the American side.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action meeting held to discuss the full implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and the return of the United States to the deal in Vienna on April 15, 2021. EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images