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Analysis

US, Iran still trying to close gap on nuclear deal

The Biden administration may be considering options for a Plan B if nuclear talks fail, but backchannel diplomacy is continuing.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (2nd-L).
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (2nd-L) meets with head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi (2nd-R) in Tehran on March 5, 2022. — ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

US officials and nonproliferation experts warn Iran needs only weeks to produce enough weapons-grade fuel to build a bomb, raising pressure on the Biden administration to secure a deal that would constrain the country’s nuclear ambitions. 

The parties to the nuclear pact are expressing continued pessimism that a deal can be reached to revive the original agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). US envoy for the nuclear talks Rob Malley said last month that chances for a deal were “tenuous at best.”  

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