US State Department spokesman Ned Price takes questions from reporters during a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2021. (CAROLYN KASTER / POOL / AFP)
WASHINGTON/DUBAI – The United States expects to have a sixth round of indirect talks on reviving compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and probably more, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said hurdles remained after the fifth round of talks that concluded on Wednesday
The European Union envoy coordinating the talks on Wednesday said he believed a deal would be struck at the next round starting next week, but other senior diplomats have said the most difficult decisions still lie ahead.
Price said hurdles remained after the fifth round of talks that concluded on Wednesday and offered a more cautious outlook than the EU official, even as he did not rule out the possibility of an agreement in the next round.
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"We expect there will be a sixth. I think there's just about every expectation that there will be subsequent rounds beyond that," Price told reporters. He said the hurdles included the fact that the talks are indirect – Iran refuses direct discussions with the United States – and the issues complex.
Iran's Governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Kazem Gharib Abadi (3rd from left), Political Deputy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran Abbas Araghchi (center), and Deputy Secretary General and Political Director of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora (5th from left) stand in front of the Grand Hotel Vienna, where closed-door nuclear talks are held, in Vienna, Austria, June 2, 2021. (LISA LEUTNER / AP)
"There is no lack of distrust between and among Iran and the other partners and allies with whom we're working on this," he added.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran wanted action and not promises from the six world powers for the revival of the deal.
"I have told our negotiators that actions, not promises (by the six powers), are needed for the restoration of the nuclear deal," the Ayatollah said in a televised speech.
Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, arguing it gave Iran excessive sanctions relief for inadequate nuclear curbs. US President Joe Biden wants to restore the pact's nuclear limits and, if possible, extend them.
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