Vienna: Talks on the Iran nuclear deal got underway in Vienna on Friday amid growing questions about the US commitment to the plan.
President Donald Trump has vowed to walk away from the 2015 agreement in mid-May unless European countries join the US in addressing what the president says are its fatal flaws.
These include no penalties for Iran’s missile work and support for militant groups in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.
This week’s firing of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the choice of Iran hard-liner Mike Pompeo to replace him have fueled speculation Washington will pull out.
Eyes are now on Friday’s periodic meeting of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Joint Commission, or JCPOA, in Vienna for an indication of American thinking.
Delegates from the US, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, the European Union and Iran made no comment to reporters as they arrived for the talks, which were expected to last through the day.
State Department policy planning chief Brian Hook is leading the US delegation.
Hook had been tasked by Tillerson with getting the Europeans to agree to as many of Trump’s demands as possible, with an eye toward selling the president on extending the sanctions waivers. Doing so would buy US negotiators time to deal with elements of the agreement Trump has disparaged - such as its expiration dates on key nuclear constraints - and missile and terrorism concerns.
The deal, which was negotiated during the Obama administration, limits Iran’s enrichment and stockpiling of material that could be applied to a nuclear weapons programme.
In exchange, Tehran was granted widespread relief from international trade, oil and banking sanctions.
Trump’s next deadline to extend some of those concessions is May 12, and he has vowed not to do so again unless the Europeans meet his demands.
European Union foreign ministers, who will meet to discuss the issue Monday in Brussels, are expected to affirm that they believe the deal with Iran is good, and work to discourage Trump from pulling out of the deal in May.
At the same time, they’re expected to start putting greater stress on Iran’s missile development and its destabilising role in the region.
If the US begins threatening fines and other punishments for sanctions violations, countries around the world are likely to curtail commerce with Iran.
That could prompt the Iranians to walk away as well, and perhaps even restart nuclear activities banned under the accord.
