President Joe Biden will raise the issue of Iran’s nuclear program in his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the White House told reporters on Monday.
In a briefing about the crisis surrounding a Russian military buildup around Ukraine and Biden’s decision to discuss it directly with Putin, the official said, “The agenda will also cover a number of other critical issues including strategic stability, cyber, and Iran’s nuclear program.”
Talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna last week aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) ended without results on Friday at the dismay of the United States and its three European allies, the United Kingdom, France and Germany that are participants of the agreement. The US pulled out of the agreement in 2018 prompting Iran to expand its nuclear program.
Iran has ramped up its uranium enrichment this year, stockpiling 20 and 60-percent enriched uranium and getting closer to have enough fissile material for a bomb.
The official reiterated US concerns that Iran’s advances in its nuclear program will be discussed as a major international concern during the Biden-Putin call.