Blinken Says Ball In Iran's Court Over Nuclear Talks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday it was up to Iran to resolve a deadlock in nuclear talks and accused it of enabling Russian aggression in Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday it was up to Iran to resolve a deadlock in nuclear talks and accused it of enabling Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Blinken, who was visiting Athens, said the United States was committed, together with Israel, to ensuring that Tehran "never acquires a nuclear weapon".
"That's not exactly news. The president (Joe Biden) has been very clear that every option is on the table to do that," Blinken told a news conference alongside his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias.
Biden's administration had been trying to resurrect the 2015 agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was abandoned by Biden's predecessor Donald Trump in 2018, but talks lasting 18 months deadlocked in September.
Soon antigovernment protests broke out in Iran that were met with deadly force by the government, killing 500 civilians, further complicating relations with the West.
Blinken accused Tehran of failing to engage and said the JCPOA was not on the table now.
"We continue to believe that, with regard to the nuclear program, the most effective, sustainable way to deal with the challenge it poses is through diplomacy. But in this moment, those efforts are on the backburner because Iran is simply not engaged in a meaningful way," Blinken said.
"A lot depends on what Iran says and does and whether or not it engages."
Blinken added: "In the meantime, of course, we've seen provision by Iran of drones to Russia to enable its aggression in Ukraine."
He called the invasion a "strategic failure in every way" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
With reporting by Reuters
