Iran nuclear deal parties meet as clock ticks on dispute mechanism

Countries trying to hold together the Iranian nuclear deal are meeting in Vienna on Wednesday, after Germany, France and Britain set in motion dispute procedures that could ultimately bring back UN sanctions on Tehran.

The talks to salvage the 2015 accord will be attended by senior diplomats from Iran, Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the EU.

After the US pulled out, these parties vowed to uphold the deal, which is aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

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Last year Iran started scaling back its compliance by overstepping key limits related to uranium – a material that can be used to make warheads.

Last month, Tehran announced that it no longer felt bound by some of the nuclear accord’s key restraints. However, Iran has not taken steps to violate additional provisions, according to diplomats.

In response to Iran’s announcement, the Europeans said in mid-January that they had “no choice” but to trigger the deal’s dispute resolution mechanism – a process that could ultimately lead to the collapse of the accord and the global reimposition of UN sanctions.

Britain, France and Germany have stressed that their aim is to rescue the deal, not to sink it.

The multi-step process should last 65 days at most, but it can be extended if the parties agree.

The pact started to unravel after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, arguing that it will not prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb and fails to address Tehran’s regional ambitions.