World powers, Iran meet to save nuclear deal
Iran wants European powers to present it with measures by the end of May to compensate it for the US decision to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal, a senior official said yesterday, and Tehran would decide within weeks whether to quit the accord.
The 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers lifted international sanctions on Tehran. In return, Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear programme.
Since President Donald Trump pulled the US out last month, European states have been trying to find a way to ensure Iran still gets the economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal. But that has proven difficult, with European companies frightened away by US sanctions.
Nations that remain in the agreement - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- began meetings yesterday for the first time since Trump left the pact, but diplomats see limited scope for salvaging it. Their officials will try to flesh out with Iran's deputy foreign minister a strategy to save the deal by keeping oil and investment flowing.
"To be honest with you, we are not confident," a senior Iranian official told reporters yesterday before the talks.
EU leaders have united behind the accord, with Brussels working on measures, including banning EU-based companies from complying with re-imposed US sanctions and urging governments to make money transfers to Iran's central bank to avoid fines.
"We expect the (economic) package to be given to us by the end of May," the Iranian official said. "I'm sorry to say that we haven't (seen) the Plan B yet. The Plan B has just started to be figured out."
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which polices the pact, said on Thursday that Iran continued to comply with its terms, but could be faster in allowing snap inspections . Its chief, Yukiya Amano, briefed participants before yesterday's meeting.
Washington has not only re-imposed sanctions but started to make them even tighter.
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