VIENNA // Iran and major world powers met on Tuesday to take stock of their 2015 nuclear accord, the future of which is clouded by the imminent inauguration of Donald Trump as US president and the death of a moderate former Iranian president.
Mr Trump, who will be inaugurated on January 20, has vowed to “dismantle” the “disastrous” accord in which Iran reduced its atomic activities in return for sanctions relief.
The death of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 82, on Sunday removed a widely respected Iranian backer of the deal at a time when frustration about the slow pace of sanctions relief is growing.
Tuesday’s meeting in Vienna – the city where the hard-fought deal was struck in July 2015 – brought together senior diplomats from Iran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
It was the fourth such gathering to review progress implementing the pact since it came into force in January 2016 and was requested by Iran in December after US sanctions legislation was renewed for a decade.
The US restrictions targeting mostly Tehran’s oil and gas sectors remain suspended but Iran still saw the move as a “violation” of the nuclear deal.
There is also disappointment in Iran that many of the hoped-for economic benefits from the deal have failed to materialise, putting president Hassan Rouhani under pressure ahead of elections in May.
Iran has been able to ramp up its vital oil exports but US sanctions related to non-nuclear issues remain in place, making foreign banks reluctant to handle large transactions with Tehran.
The UN watchdog has said Iran is meeting its side of the bargain, although it has twice inched above agreed ceiling on heavy water, a reactor coolant, and is near to an upper limit on uranium, diplomats say.
* Agence France-Presse