Blinken says nuclear talks with Iran ‘cannot go on indefinitely’

There have been no breakthroughs after six rounds of indirect talks in Vienna to revive the deal torpedoed by ex-US President Donald Trump.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said talks over a return to the Iran nuclear deal “cannot go on indefinitely” but that Washington is “fully prepared” to continue negotiations. The US has been involved in indirect talks with Iran, with other parties to the 2015 agreement – the UK, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, and China – serving as intermediaries, in Vienna since April. The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) gave Iran some relief from international sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme. The deal was torpedoed in 2018 by then US President Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and imposed punishing sanctions.