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Hopes for Nuclear Deal Fade as Iran Rebuilds

(New York Times) David E. Sanger - Iranian negotiators plan to meet with their European, Chinese and Russian counterparts on Nov. 29 to discuss the future of the 2015 nuclear agreement. American officials will be in Vienna but not inside the room because Iran will not meet with them. While five months ago, U.S. officials seemed optimistic that the 2015 deal was about to be restored, they return to Vienna far more pessimistic. Today President Biden's vision of re-entering the agreement and then building something "longer and stronger" appears all but gone. Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran's newly appointed chief nuclear negotiator, does not refer to the upcoming talks as nuclear negotiations at all. Instead, he refers to them as "negotiations to remove unlawful and inhuman sanctions." The Iranians are declaring that they have now produced 55 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% purity. That is below the 90% normally used to produce a weapon, but not by much. It is a level "that only countries making bombs have," said Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN watchdog.
2021-11-22 00:00:00
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