US envoy: 'Other tools' available if Iran nuclear diplomacy fails
Robert Malley said the US and its allies feel a "shared impatience" with Iran's delay in returning to the bargaining table.
US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said Monday there’s a “shared impatience” among Gulf and European allies over Iran’s refusal to set a date for nuclear talks in Vienna.
Malley spoke with reporters following recent trips to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and France, where he said interlocutors are growing concerned “over the “pace and direction of Iran’s nuclear progress.”
“At this point it’s hard to find an innocent explanation as to why it’s taking so long,” he said, adding that the reasons given “are wearing very thin."
Multilateral negotiations aimed at reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action began in April, but have been on hold since the election of hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in June. In recent weeks, Iranian officials have expressed a willingness to return to Vienna for a seventh round of talks, but have declined to give a date.
