US hits out at Iran for not coming to Vienna with constructive proposals

The US criticized Iran on Friday after the seventh round of indirect talks over the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal, saying Tehran did not come to Vienna with constructive proposals.

“The first six rounds of negotiations made progress, finding creative compromise solutions to many of the hardest issues that were difficult for all sides. Iran’s approach this week was not, unfortunately, to try to resolve the remaining issues,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

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“The new Iranian administration did not come to Vienna with constructive proposals,” the official added.

Later Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed Iran for not being serious during this week’s talks.

“What we’ve seen in the last couple of days is that Iran, right now, does not seem to be serious about doing what’s necessary to return to compliance, which is why we ended this round of talks in Vienna,” he said during the Reuters Next conference.

Iran’s top diplomat was quoted as saying the Europeans and Americans were not serious in their efforts to reach an agreement on a return to the deal, also known as the JCPOA.

But senior European diplomats said Friday they were concerned over Iran’s new proposals, which were seen as a reneging on previous agreements reached in earlier rounds of talks.

Asked about this week’s talks in Vienna, led by the US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley, the State Department official said Washington’s delegation was returning to the DC.

Citing Iran’s “new round of nuclear provocations,” the State Department official said Tehran had still failed to reach an understanding with the UN atomic watchdog to restore transparency “they have degraded in recent months.”

As has been customary under the new US administration, the spokesperson blasted the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA that has led to a “dramatic and unprecedented expansion of Iran’s nuclear program.”

“That cannot continue. It will inevitably lead to a crisis,” the spokesperson said.

Blinken said: “If the path to a return to compliance with the agreement turns out to be a dead-end, we will pursue other options.”

Read more: Iran’s recent moves don’t give room for optimism on new deal: Blinken