Responds to optimism of Iran and Russia.
On Tuesday, the U.S. expressed caution over upbeat comments by Iran and Russia about talks in Vienna to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. State Department officials said it is still too soon to say if Tehran has returned to the negotiations with a constructive approach. Iran and Russia both gave optimistic views about the talks to salvage the deal, although Western nations have said the negotiations are moving too slowly.
A State Department spokesman said there was some progress in the last round of talks but it was too soon to tell whether Tehran, in the current round, returned to the table to build on those gains. “We are now assessing, in the course of these talks, whether the Iranians came back with an agenda of new issues or preliminary solutions to the ones already presented,” he said.
Iran has been refusing to meet directly with the U.S. officials, relying on other parties to the deal besides the U.S. and Iran (Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany, and the EU) to shuttle between the two sides.
The American delegation led by Special Envoy Rob Malley will be in a better position in the coming days to determine whether Iran has come to the table with a fundamentally different position.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for Special Envoy Rob Malley and the U.S. delegation as they deal with Tehran over a renewal of the nuclear deal.
- For the president and his advisors to seek God’s leading as the impasse over sanctions has delayed the talks.
Sources: One America News, Reuters
