Islam Times - Nuclear Aspects of JCPOA 'Pretty Much Finalized': IAEA Chief

Islam Times - Nuclear aspects of the Iran deal have been "pretty much finalized," but the talks have stumbled on non-nuclear issues, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA said Wednesday.

"I think the nuclear aspects of the agreements are pretty much finalized, but still there are doubts," Rafael Grossi told a nuclear panel at the Davos economic forum in Switzerland.

"The IAEA and Iran said in March that they had agreed on an approach to issues that needed to be cleared to rescue the 2015 nuclear deal. The watchdog wants to clarify the presence of uranium particles at undeclared sites in Iran", Grossi said.

The eighth round of talks on lifting the sanctions, which began on December 27 last year, had entered a breathtaking phase on March 11, 2014, at the suggestion of the EU foreign policy chief, and the negotiators had returned to their capitals for political consultations.

The United States claims that if Iran wants to lift sanctions beyond the 2015 nuclear deal, it must address US concerns beyond the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The Biden administration, which has claimed to take a diplomatic approach to Iran and to make an attempt to return to the JCPOA, has so far taken no steps to show its goodwill.

Most countries participating in the talks want the talks to conclude faster, but reaching a final agreement awaits US political decisions on a few remaining critical issues.