Iran nuclear talks to restart as US emphasizes it's 'prepared to use other options' if diplomacy fails
By Nicole Gaouette, Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, CNN
Updated 0503 GMT (1303 HKT) November 28, 2021
The US and its allies restart Iran nuclear talks on Monday unsure how Tehran's new government will approach negotiations, not optimistic about the prospects ahead and emphasizing that if diplomacy fails, the US is "prepared to use other options." The parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will reconvene in Vienna after almost six months to discuss a mutual return to the deal by both the US and Iran, but the hiatus has given time for new obstacles to take root. On Friday, Iran announced yet more advances in its uranium enrichment, which reduces the amount of time Tehran would need to develop a nuclear weapon, if it chooses to, an announcement clearly meant to give Iran leverage when it arrives in Vienna for talks. The recently elected hardline government in Tehran will send a new set of negotiators to Vienna who have been emphasizing the need for complete US sanctions relief, not compliance with the deal, while US officials have said they have absolutely no plans to offer Iran incentives to talk. 'The time to choose is short' And senior US officials have repeatedly warned that if advances in Iran's nuclear program and enrichment capability continue unabated, they could render the benefits of the JCPOA moot -- a development that would force the US to pursue other options. US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said in a tweet after a November 18 meeting with Middle Eastern allies and European parties to the deal that Iran could choose one of two paths: "continued nuclear escalation & crisis, or mutual return to the JCPOA, creating opportunities for regional economic & diplomatic ties." Sources familiar with preparations for the talks say that the parties were closely watching International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi's visit to Tehran last week, seeing it as an indication of Iran's approach to the talks in Vienna, those sources said. The Arms Control Association noted that Iran's refusal to allow the IAEA to install new cameras or confirm that production hasn't restarted could undermine attempts to revitalize the JCPOA and its strict verification regime if it isn't possibly to fully complete records of Iran's nuclear program. Sources familiar with the preparations for the talks have told CNN that the US and its allies are not at a point where they would begin offering Iran confidence building measures, but one official said there is a possibility the US and its allies could employ them down the road. Western officials have tried to argue to the Israelis that attacks on Israel's nuclear program are not very useful when the overall goal is to come up with a comprehensive solution, and especially when the Iranians have sped up their capability to rebuild after attacks, sources familiar with the Iran talks have told CNN. Western officials have also raised the danger of Iran responding with kinetic action, but sources familiar with the talks say Israeli officials still seem to think that it is still an effective tool to show their capabilities.
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