Berlin urges Tehran to 'quickly' return to nuclear talks

BERLIN

Germany on Wednesday called on Iran's new government to return to international nuclear talks "as quickly as possible."

"We have repeatedly made our position clear about the negotiations in Vienna. We urge Iran to take a constructive stance and return to the negotiating table as quickly as possible," Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said at a weekly press conference in Berlin.

"We're ready for this. But, the time window for negotiations cannot remain open indefinitely," Burger added.

His remarks came after Iran's new foreign minister indicated that his country's return to the nuclear talks in Vienna could be months away.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was quoted by Iranian media outlets as saying that the other sides participating in the talks understand that it would take "two or three months" for the new government to be established and prepare.

Noting that Tehran wanted a change in approach in the talks to revive the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Abdollahian said his country sought "tangible results" from the negotiations, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Iran's new President Ebrahim Raeisi has vowed to support efforts to end US economic sanctions against the country.

Delegations from the JCPOA's signatories UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China launched efforts in April to bring Tehran and Washington, which abandoned the deal in 2018, back into its fold. After Raeisi's June 18 election victory, these talks in Vienna were suspended.

In the talks, Iran demands that all Western sanctions be lifted, while its interlocutors seek to reinstate controls on its nuclear program.​​​​​​​