In the lead-up to Monday’s resumption talks, Israel was said to have shared intelligence with European and American allies that suggested Iran may be preparing for enrichment to a purity of 90 percent – which is the required level to make nuclear weapons.
Diplomats warn that time is short to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018.
According to sources from the United States, Israel thinks Iran may be able to produce 90% enriched uranium in a matter of weeks.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday that Israel had shared ‘intelligence which points to Iran’s continued race toward a nuclear weapon while violating the 2015 agreement.’
Yairlapid, the Israeli foreign minister, met his British counterpart Monday to discuss Iran’s nuclear plans.
He wrote, “They will continue to deceive and advance their nuclear programs, play for time”, tweeting that they would earn billions by removing sanctions.
“This is how they’ve done it in the past and this is what they’ll do again.”
On Monday, talks between the signatories of 2015 Iran nuclear agreement resumed in Vienna. According to reports, Israel warned its allies that Iran would enrich uranium up to 90% purity in order to make nuclear weapons.
Trump expelled the U.S. in 2018 from the accord, accusing Iran that it had violated the spirit of the agreement through ballistic missile testing and support proxies
Naftali Bennett, Israel’s Prime Minster has asked allies not to accept the Iran nuclear accord
Iran previously stated that it was capable of reaching 90 percent enrichment.
The agreement was maintained by Iran for one year, after Washington pulled out. However, Iran has since built centrifuges that were banned in the deal, and violated enrichment limits.
On Monday, talks to bring Iran into compliance and the U.S. back in the agreement were resumed in Vienna. After the election in Tehran of a hardline government, they were suspended for five more months.
The meeting took place in Vienna at the hotel of the Austrian capital.
With European officials moving back and forth, U.S. participation was indirect.
An optimistic assessment was offered by the European Union representative who presided over the discussions.
E.U.: “I am positive we can do important things in the coming weeks,” diplomat Enrique Mora told reporters.
The new Iranian delegation was steadfast in its demand for all sanctions to be lifted, he said. However, he suggested that Tehran has not rejected all six rounds of previous talks between April and June.
Yair Lepid, Israel’s Foreign Minister, said Iran wanted to talk about lifting sanctions but ‘covertly’ advancing their nuclear program.
He said, “They accepted that the work over the six first rounds was a solid foundation to build on,”
“We will, of course, incorporate the new political sensibilities that the new Iranian administration.
Iran repeatedly stated that its nuclear program serves a civilian purpose rather than a military purpose. The United States must lift the Trump-imposed sanctions to make progress in the talks.
Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s new negotiator, wrote in The Financial Times that he was not going to repeat his past mistakes. Over the last six years, we have learned what can and cannot be trusted.
“To make sure any future agreement is solid, the west must pay the price of not upholding its end of the deal. Like any deal in business, breaking it is costly.
Joe Biden for his part stated that he would lift sanctions on Iran if it made the first steps in turning around.