EU says it may not be possible to cross finish line on Iran nuclear deal

By Trend

Senior Western officials voiced doubts about reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Thursday, with the European Union saying it "might not make it over the finishing line" and a U.S. official saying the odds had lengthened after this week's failed talks, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The U.N. Security Council met to discuss Iran one day after indirect U.S.-Iran talks ended in Doha with no sign of progress on resurrecting the pact under which Tehran limited its nuclear program in return for relief from U.S., U.N. and EU sanctions.

"I am concerned that we might not make it over the finishing line. My message is: Seize this opportunity to conclude the deal, based on the text that is on the table," European Union Ambassador to the United Nations Olof Skoog said.

The EU coordinates the talks on resurrecting the agreement, which then U.S. President Donald Trump reneged on in 2018 and restored harsh U.S. sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to start violating its nuclear restrictions about a year later.

"The prospects for a deal after Doha are worse than they were before Doha and they will be getting worse by the day," the senior U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.