US Says Nuclear Deal Possible Soon if Iran Makes Political Decision

A senior US State Department official said Thursday that an agreement on a path for Washington and Tehran to resume compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could be reached within weeks if Iran made the political decision to do so.

"Is it possible that we'll see a mutual return to compliance in the next few weeks, or an understanding of a mutual compliance? It's possible yes," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity during a telephone briefing.

"Is it likely? Only time will tell, because as I said, this is ultimately a matter of a political decision that needs to be made in Iran," the official added.

This week, US officials will meet with Iranian officials in Vienna for a fourth round of indirect talks on how to re-establish conformity with the agreement, which was abandoned by former President Donald Trump in 2018, causing Iran to begin breaching its terms a year later.

In exchange for relief from US, EU, and UN sanctions, Iran agreed to take measures to rein in its nuclear programme, making it more difficult to procure the fissile material required for a nuclear weapon.

Tehran claims it has no plans to develop nuclear weapons. The US official suggested that a nuclear deal could be revived before Iran's June 18 elections, but he placed the onus on Iran to make such a political decision and to avoid asking Washington to do more than the agreement stipulates, while Tehran will aim to do less.