The statement stated that “Iran, unfortunately, again refused to seize the opportunity and instead made new, unrealistic demands in the meeting that ended yesterday in Doha.”
The statement added: “Iran should seize this opportunity to conclude the agreement, while this is still possible,” noting that Iran’s nuclear program “is now more advanced than ever.”
The three countries said: “We call on Iran to stop its nuclear escalation, return to full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and accept without further delay the offer on the table, which will benefit the Iranian people and the Iranian nation.”
A senior US administration official said on Wednesday that indirect talks between US and Iranian officials in Qatar aimed at salvaging the Iran nuclear deal ended without any progress.
The official added that the talks, brokered by the European Union, remained in place, “which at this point means a regression.”
The 2015 nuclear deal was signed after two years of intense negotiations between China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and was intended to restrict Iran’s civilian nuclear program and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement and reimposed economic sanctions on Iran in 2018, and while the remaining parties have said they are committed to preserving the agreement, Iran has revived its nuclear program.
