U.S. diplomats, along with European foreign ministers, could be days away from a deal that could limit Iran's nuclear program, but according to a senior Biden administration official, several "difficult issues" stand in the way, Axios reported.
"There is very little time left to resolve the remaining issues given the pace of Iran's nuclear advances and what it means for the viability of the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]. Until these issues are dealt with, there is no deal," the official said.
With Iran's chief negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, expected to leave for Tehran Wednesday night, and with neither side appearing willing to compromise, the Biden administration official says there could be no deal at all. Additionally, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has stated that although Iran is "optimistic," there are certain red lines that it will not cross at the talks in Vienna.
"We hope that a few sensitive and important issues will be resolved in the negotiations with realism from the Western parties," he said.
The United States has been very guarded about what such red lines entail, but Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett may have revealed some of them earlier this week.
On Monday, Bennett said that Iran had demanded the closing of any investigation from the International Atomic Energy Agency into a potential military application of its nuclear program, which remains an area of contention.
Bennett also said that Iran demanded its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be removed from the U.S.' list of foreign terrorist organizations.
"The emerging deal is likely to create a more violent and less stable Middle East," Bennet said.
Despite Bennett's claims, a State Department spokesperson, who refused to qualify any of the Israeli prime minister's statements, said Israeli security officials now realize the implications of having no nuclear deal at all.
"We must not make a similar mistake by rejecting another opportunity to make diplomatic progress," the spokesperson said.
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