Iaea Hopes To Restart Iran Nuclear Talks In Near Future

IAEA Chief Hopes to Restart Iran Nuclear Talks 'In Near Future'

Negotiations between Iran and world powers on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal have hit a wall following months of little progress.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it hopes to resume the talks "in the near future", but no date has been set yet.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told reporters on Thursday that he had met with Iranian officials in Tehran this week and discussed the possibility of restarting the talks.

"We have agreed to continue our dialogue," Grossi said.

He added that he hoped the talks could resume "in the near future", but did not provide a specific timeframe.

The talks between Iran and world powers, which include the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, began in April 2021 with the aim of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.

The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, and Iran has since gradually rolled back its commitments under the deal.

The Biden administration has said it is committed to reviving the JCPOA, but the talks have been hampered by a number of issues, including Iran's insistence that the United States remove all sanctions before it returns to full compliance with the deal.

Grossi said on Thursday that he believed there was still a chance to revive the deal, but he warned that time was running out.

"I think we are at a critical juncture," he said.

"We need to make progress in the coming weeks and months, otherwise the window of opportunity for diplomacy will close."