White House: Biden calls for alternative options on the Iranian file
3 Min Read
The White House points out to "some progress" in the Vienna Talks.
-
White House: Biden calls for alternative options to deal with the Iranian file
White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki pointed out to "some progress" achieved in the nuclear talks in Vienna but said that if both parties don't come to an understanding soon, the US will consider a different path.
Psaki told reporters at the White House that US President Joe Biden "will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons," adding, "Weeks ago the President asked his team to come up with a set of options, they did, and obviously, we prefer diplomacy."
She blamed the former US administration saying that its "futile attempt to bring Iran to the negotiating table to craft a better deal only increased the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb."
Blinken: Reviving JCPOA is the best option
The White House Spokesperson’s words came after the US State Department set a timetable for “weeks, not months” for negotiations to end fruitfully. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there are "only a few weeks left" to save the Iran nuclear deal, and threatened with "other options" if the talks fail.
Blinken pointed out that Iran's nuclear advances will become "increasingly hard to reverse" because of their developing know-how. "They're doing new things as a result of having broken out of their constraints under the agreement," he said.
Reviving the JCPOA "would be the best result for America's security," the US State Secretary declared. "But if we can't, we are looking at other steps, other options" with allies including in Europe and West Asia.
As for the "other options", he said that they've been "the subject of intense work as well in the past weeks and months," he said. "We're prepared for either course."
Borrell: There is a better atmosphere in the talks
In this context, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said Friday a renewed deal with Iran on its nuclear program was still "possible" as the Vienna Talks advance in a "better atmosphere".
"We're arriving at the end of a long process... there's a better atmosphere since Christmas - Before Christmas, I was very pessimistic. Today I believe reaching an accord is possible," he said following an EU meeting at the ministerial level.
It is worth noting that the eighth round of negotiations began in Vienna at the beginning of this year. On January 3, the head of the Iranian negotiating delegation, Ali Bagheri Kani, arrived in Vienna.
Al Mayadeen correspondent in Vienna stated that the heads of the delegations participating in the nuclear negotiations returned to their country capitalsto spend the weekend, while the technical teams continue to hold their meetings.
