'End game': Iran nuclear talks nearing resolution or nuclear crisis, US warns
ABC News
While President Joe Biden works to address the crisis over Russia menacing Ukraine, there is another critical one looming.
While President Joe Biden works to address the crisis over Russia menacing Ukraine, there is another critical one looming, with a senior State Department official telling reporters the "end game" is just weeks away.
Iran nuclear talks are scheduled to resume this week for their ninth round -- with the U.S. and Iran still negotiating indirectly about both countries returning to the Obama-era nuclear deal that is in tatters.
This could be the final round before a deal is reached or the U.S. and its European allies call it quits -- because after 10 months of negotiating with two different Iranian governments, the country's nuclear program is advancing to the point of no return, the U.S. says.
"This can't go on forever because of Iran's nuclear advances. This is not a prediction. It's not a threat. It's not an artificial deadline. It's just a requirement... Given the pace of Iran's advances, its nuclear advances, we only have a handful of weeks left to get a deal -- after which point it will unfortunately be no longer possible to return to the JCPOA and to recapture the nonproliferation benefits that the deal provided for us," said the senior State Department official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks using an acronym for the deal's formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.