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Germany underestimates potential risks of failed Iranian nuclear deal talks — diplomat

The Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna recalled the statement "of the German Foreign Ministry that Berlin sees no reason to resume negotiations on a nuclear deal"

Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov AP Photo/Lisa Leutner

Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov

© AP Photo/Lisa Leutner

VIENNA, December 30. /TASS/. Germany is underestimating the risks of uncontrolled escalation that may emerge if talks on restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program end in failure, Russia’s envoy to the international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said on Thursday.

"The German MFA [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] stated that Berlin saw no reason to resume the Vienna Talks. Apparently, Germany underestimates the importance of nuclear non-proliferation, as well as the risk of serious and even uncontrolled escalation if the talks on JCPOA remain inconclusive," the Russian diplomat wrote on Twitter.

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. Former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 while the current US President, Joe Biden, has signaled that he is ready to resurrect the agreement. Russia, the UK, Germany, China, the US and France have been in talks with Iran since April 2021 to reinstate the deal. The latest round of consultations took place in March.

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