Why US is proposing withdrawal from Vienna talks?

Tehran, IRNA - Iran's steadfastness in preserving its rightful demands on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal during Vienna talks has led the United States to resort to a new tactic, namely, threatening to leave negotiations in order to put pressure on Tehran to accept the Americans' conditions.

The Biden administration is concerned about the possible hardships it may face in reaching an agreement with the next Iranian government.

The seventh round of talks between the P4+1 group (the UK, France, Russia, China plus Germany) and Iran is expected to begin in the near future, while an American delegation is in Vienna, Austria, to consult with the group on the US return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In recent days, the American authorities have resorted to a new tactic in a bid to put pressure on Iran. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with New York Times that the US pull-out from the Vienna talks is very imminent, though the exact time is not fixed.

Another US official said on the condition of anonymity that the Biden administration may review its strategy in dealing with Iran, warning that the process of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program will not go on forever because there are some differences and if they are not being resolved in the future, some rearrangements are needed to see what will happen next.

Observers note that the former US administration withdrew from the international accord in May 2018 and hampered implementation of the JCPOA by other signatories; then, the Islamic Republic started scaling back from its commitments under the agreement; so, the revival of the deal has turned into a dilemma.

The Iranian side has emphasized time and again that they are against erosive negotiations, warning that the Islamic Republic will not continue endless talks.

Analysts are of the opinion that the US threatens to leave negotiations because the American authorities are worried about Tehran's refusal to extend the duration of inspection of its nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if Vienna talks to revive the JCPOA bear no fruit.

Another reason behind Americans' threat to leave negotiations is that they are concerned about the potential stance of the next administration in Iran. This is despite the fact that President-elect Ebrahim Raisi had earlier underlined that his government will continue the talks to pave the way for the lifting of sanctions.