U.S. envoy headed to Qatar to revive Iran nuclear talks

U.S. envoy headed to Qatar to revive Iran nuclear talks

Politico – June 27th 2022

By NAHAL TOOSI and STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN

06/27/2022 10:57 AM EDT

The U.S. special envoy for the Iran nuclear talks is headed to the Gulf state of Qatar on Monday for a resumption of indirect discussions with Tehran about ways to revive the agreement.

The likelihood of a breakthrough is low, but these are the first such talks in months. They are coming together following efforts by European officials to get both sides, but in particular Iran, back on board.

The U.S. envoy, Rob Malley, was slated to land in the Qatari capital of Doha later Monday, a senior State Department official told POLITICO.

Up to now, most of the discussions on reviving the deal had been held in Vienna, Austria; they’ve stalled since March. Iran, meanwhile, has advanced its nuclear program significantly, including its enrichment of uranium, and it has been removing or turning off cameras that international inspectors rely upon to monitor its program.

The latest talks, expected to be mediated by European officials because Iran refuses to engage directly with the United States, are likely to start Tuesday, a U.S. official familiar with the issue said.

“Very low expectations,” the U.S. official added.

Two senior Western officials echoed the pessimism.

One noted that even if European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who traveled to Tehran recently, “managed to reinvigorate the process, the substance has not moved much since the Vienna talks paused.”

Read more on the original:

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/27/u-s-qatar-iran-nuclear-00042553