Iran says US has to make decision on reviving nuclear deal

DUBAI: The United States needs to make a decision to wrap up a deal to salvage Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday amid fears that arduous talks in Vienna might collapse.

Efforts to clinch a new deal were left in limbo after a last-minute demand by Russia – now at odds with the West over its invasion of Ukraine – forced the powers to pause talks for an undetermined time despite having a largely completed text.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will visit Russia on Tuesday, ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told a weekly news conference, without elaborating. “We are currently having a breather from the nuclear talks,” said Khatibzadeh. “We are not at a point of announcing an agreement now since there are some important open issues that need to be decided upon by Washington.”

The US State Department said on Friday Washington continued to believe a potential deal to return to the 2015 agreement was close, but said decisions need to made in places like Tehran and Moscow.

Russia’s foreign minister unexpectedly demanded sweeping guarantees that Russian trade with Iran would not be affected by sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine – a demand Western powers said was unacceptable and Washington insisted it would not agree to.