Jakarta
\nThe United States is preparing \u201calternatives\u201d in case efforts to revive a deal to curb Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions collapse, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, as expectations grow that talks will fail.
\n\u201cWe continue in this hour, on this day, to pursue diplomacy because it remains at this moment the best option, but we are actively engaging with allies and partners on alternatives,\u201d Antony Blinken said during a visit to Indonesia.
\nNegotiations restarted on Thursday last week to try to revive the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, which the United States withdrew from under Donald Trump in 2018.
\nIran claims it only wants to develop a civilian capability but Western powers say its stockpile of enriched uranium goes well beyond that, and could be used to develop a nuclear weapon.
\nUS President Joe Biden has said he is ready to return to the agreement and Iranian officials maintain they are serious about committing to the talks.
\nBut Tehran has been accused of backsliding on progress made earlier this year and playing for time.
\nBlinken\u2019s remarks came after Biden recently said the United States was preparing \u201cadditional measures\u201d against Iran.
\nIn Tuesday\u2019s comments, the top US diplomat also referred to a recent statement by European countries involved in the talks, which he said noted that \u201ctime is running out, that Iran is still not engaged in real negotiations\u201d.
\n\u201cUnless there\u2019s swift progress… the Iran nuclear agreement will become an empty shell,\u201d Blinken said, referring to the statement.
\nBritish Foreign Secretary Liz Truss went further at the weekend, warning that the resumed talks were the Islamic Republic\u2019s \u201clast chance to come to the negotiating table with a serious resolution\u201d.
\n\u201cThere is still time for Iran to come and agree this deal,\u201d she told a news conference.
\nThe 2015 agreement has been disintegrating since Trump pulled out. The deal ensured sanctions relief for Iran in return for tight curbs on its nuclear programme, which was put under extensive UN monitoring.
\nTrump went on to re-introduce sanctions, prompting Tehran to start disregarding the deal\u2019s limits on its nuclear activities in 2019.
\nRecent rounds of talks have stumbled on which sanctions Washington is prepared to lift and guarantees demanded by Iran to protect against the prospect of a future US withdrawal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jakarta The United States is preparing \u201calternatives\u201d in case efforts to revive a deal to curb Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions collapse, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, as expectations grow that talks will fail. \u201cWe continue in this hour, on this day, to pursue diplomacy because it remains at this moment the best option, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232945,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1686,355,1687,444],"class_list":{"0":"post-232933","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-alternatives","9":"tag-anthony-blinken","10":"tag-iran-nuclear-talks","11":"tag-us"},"yoast_head":"\n