TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that he found the results of a meeting with European leaders this week in Vienna aimed at saving the 2015 nuclear deal less than impressive.
“The Europeans always show their goodwill [in the nuclear dispute] but in the end, pragmatic decisions and steps are necessary,” the Iranian leader told his cabinet on Saturday, a day after the meeting.
In addition, Iran can’t wait forever for steps to be taken — a clear timeline must be put in place, Rouhani added.
The foreign minister of the five countries which remained in the nuclear deal with Iran — China, Germany, France, Britain and Russia — met in Vienna to salvage the agreement after the United States pulled out in May and took steps to revive punitive measures.
The five powers said they are committed to keeping economic, financial and transport channels open with Iran.
They had promised several economic measure, including functioning payment systems and the export of oil and gas, as part of the negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had been optimistic following the meeting, though he was clear that the final decision would be made in Tehran regarding the European powers’ proposals.
Zarif said the powers had until the beginning of August — when US sanctions come back into force — to turn their promises into action.
Six major powers agreed with Iran in Vienna in 2015 to curb Tehran’s civilian nuclear programme so that it cannot be used for developing atomic weapons, while sanctions were lifted in return. — dpa
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