A United States (US) official denied any talks with Iran on an interim nuclear deal on Monday.
The denial comes shortly after the US denied a report suggesting that the nations are nearing an interim deal, calling it "false."
US Official Denies Iran Interim Nuclear Deal
The US (L) and Iranian flags await the arrival of US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before the leaders meeting April 19, 2016 at the United Nations in New York.
A US official, who asked Reuters to be anonymous, has firmly dismissed reports suggesting talks with Iran regarding an interim nuclear deal. The official was pretty straightforward. He says, "There are no talks about an interim deal."
The unnamed official notes that reports suggesting a looming interim nuclear deal were inaccurate. However, he disclosed that Washington informed Tehran of moves that could kick off a crisis. He stresses, "We have made clear to them what escalatory steps they needed to avoid to prevent a crisis and what de-escalatory steps they could take to create a more positive context."
The anonymous official further notes that the White House wants Iran to level up its cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Reuters notes in its reports that the US and Europe have been figuring out how to curb the nuclear program of Tehran after its breakdown in 2022.
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Iran Says 'Indirect' Talks with US Continue
On Monday, Voice of America reports that Iran has continued "indirect" talks with the US through the Sultanate of Oman to discuss their nuclear deal. On top of that, the talks also dive into a possible prisoner swap, the report says.
According to Sky News, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says The West could not stop them from developing their nuclear weapons. He spoke amid the tensions hounding the nuclear project of the country.
The supreme leader says, "Talks about Tehran's nuclear weapons are a lie, and [the West] knows it." But he notes that "there is nothing wrong with the agreement with [the West]." However, he wants them not to touch Iran's nuclear industry.
Khamenei says that Iran should proceed to work with the UN nuclear watchdog.
The US and Iran have already denied that the two nations are discussing a potential interim deal to replace the 2015 nuclear accord. It is worth noting that former President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal with Iran last 2018. And since then, talks of its revival have yet to materialize into a proper replacement since the two countries could not meet halfway.
The US official's denial of any talks on the interim nuclear deal suggests that the US is unwilling to make any concession to Iran, at least for now. It remains to be seen whether the two sides will be able to overcome their differences and reach a deal shortly.
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