Iran on Monday called on European countries to guarantee an existing nuclear deal that the parties are set to revisit during a planned resumption of talks in Vienna.

"The European capitals, including Berlin, have been passive spectators," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.

"We therefore expect all parties, when they arrive in Vienna, to know that they have no choice but to adhere to their obligations under the nuclear deal," he said during his weekly news conference.

"They must give their clear assurance to the Islamic republic that this time, no party will violate the nuclear deal," he continued.

The deal was concluded in 2015 with the US, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany and it offered Iran relief from international sanctions in exchange for drastically limiting its nuclear programme, while also placing it under UN supervision.

But the US unilaterally pulled out of the deal under Donald Trump and reimposed sanctions, prompting Tehran to gradually renege on its commitments.

Talks got underway in Vienna in April to revive the deal, but have been suspended since June, when Iran elected ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi as president, but Tehran said last week it expects talks to resume within days.

Khatibzadeh said German Chancellor "Angela Merkel and the European countries know that without Europe's inaction, Trump would not have dared to withdraw from all the agreements or to violate the nuclear deal".

During a visit to Israel, Merkel on Sunday called on Iran to immediately return to the talks.

"The message to Iran is unequivocal: return to the negotiating table immediately," she said.

"There is no new text or deal being negotiated. It is simply a matter of technical talks to ensure the full implementation of the nuclear deal by all parties," Khatibzadeh told reporters.

"The Vienna talks, I repeat, will take place and in the next days you will see more activity and diplomatic exchange around the nuclear deal," he said.

US envoy says possible Iran won't return to nuclear deal
Washington (AFP) Oct 13, 2021 - The US negotiator on Iran said Wednesday it was possible that Tehran will never return to a 2015 nuclear accord, and that Washington was working with regional allies on a Plan B.

Rob Malley, who led indirect talks with Iran earlier this year, said that President Joe Biden's administration still felt it was best to return to the deal that was trashed by former president Donald Trump.

"We feel like coming back would still be the best outcome but we're realistic," Malley said at an event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"We know that there's at least a good possibility that Iran is going to choose a different path and we need to coordinate with Israel and with our other partners in the region," Malley said.

The foreign ministers of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which established relations last year, were meeting jointly Wednesday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Malley said he would also head within days to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

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Echoing Israel, US hints at force if Iran diplomacy fails
Washington (AFP) Oct 13, 2021
US President Joe Biden's administration hinted Wednesday it could resort to force if diplomacy fails on Iran's nuclear program, rallying more closely than ever behind warnings by Israel. Amid a standstill in negotiations with Iran, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced growing frustration as he held three-way talks with the top diplomats of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, US allies that established relations last year amid shared alarm about Tehran. Blinken renewed Biden's offer to re ... read more