Tehran Says Ready For “Alternative Plan” If Nuclear Talks Fail

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has said that his country could present “an alternative plan” if protracted efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers fail.

"We are hopeful the negotiations that started in Vienna will successfully conclude. However, the statements made by the Americans regarding the nuclear issue are contradictory. In case the negotiations fail, we are prepared to present an alternative plan," Amirabdollahian said during a visit to Baghdad on February 22.

He did not provide further details.

Under the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to restrain its atomic program in return for relief from economic sanctions.

But former US President Donald Trump in 2018 abandoned the accord and started re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran. Tehran has since been rolling back its commitments in violation of the deal.

Western officials have expressed doubt about the chances of success of the long-stalled negotiations to revive the pact.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was discussing the results of recent verification activities with Iranian officials after Bloomberg News reported that the UN atomic watchdog had detected uranium enriched to 84-percent purity, which is close to weapons grade.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization denied the report, saying that uranium enrichment in the country did not exceed 60-percent purity.