Vienna talks on Iran nuke deal end, text ready for approval

The parties have been seeking to resolve differences over the lifting of sanctions on Iran in return for placing restrictions on the country's nuclear programme once more.

Vienna: Talks in Vienna to revive the Iran nuclear deal have ended with diplomats from the countries involved returning to their capitals with a provisional text for a new agreement that it is hoped will prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons."You have to say yes or no," a senior European Union representative said in Vienna, adding that there was nothing left to negotiate and describing the text as a "very good compromise for all parties", reports dpa news agency.

The countries involved, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US, are expected to respond "in very, very few weeks", the diplomat said. The parties have been seeking to resolve differences over the lifting of sanctions on Iran in return for placing restrictions on the country's nuclear programme once more.

The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal, collapsed when the US withdrew unilaterally in 2018 under the presidency of Donald Trump. Since then, Iran has proceeded with uranium enrichment leading to fears that it is close to producing a nuclear weapon.Tehran has consistently argued that it only intends to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

During a visit to Israel, US President Joe Biden issued a joint statement with Prime Minister Yair Lapid repeating Washington's commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. The US would use "all elements of its national power" to prevent this, the statement said. (IANS)