The State Department announced Monday that the United States will not participate in talks between Iran and three European powers scheduled for November 29 in Geneva, to discuss nuclear and regional issues.
“We are closely coordinating with our E3 partners regarding Iran’s full implementation of its nuclear safeguard obligations and holding Iran accountable for its failure to meet those obligations,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said in his daily briefing.
Deputy foreign ministers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom will meet with their Iranian counterpart Majid Takht-Ravanchi to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and other issues, both Tehran and London confirmed.
The meeting that was first announced on Sunday, takes place about a week after the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a censure resolution against Tehran for its lack of cooperation and compliance. The resolution was the initiative of the three European countries and the United States, as Iran continues high-level uranium enrichment and bars many UN nuclear inspectors from the country.
“We have made it clear that Iran must provide full cooperation with the IAEA without further delay. And we’ll continue to closely coordinate with the Governments of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom,” Miller said.
In response to the IAEA resolution, Iran announced plans to increase uranium enrichment, while some Iranian politicians called on top authorities to begin the process of developing nuclear weapons.
Asked what the US thinks about Iran’s reaction, Miller said, “I would just say we’re concerned with Iran’s announcement that it’s choosing the path of continued escalation instead of cooperating with the IAEA. Its continued production and accumulation of uranium enriched up to 60 percent has no credible civilian justification.”
Tehran currently possesses enough enriched uranium for four nuclear bombs, according to IAEA estimates. While uranium enriched to 60% purity cannot serve as fissile material, Iran could further refine it to weapons-grade levels within 2-3 weeks. This position is often referred to as a nuclear-threshold status, indicating that Iran could rapidly become a nuclear power if it possesses the expertise to assemble a functional bomb.
Miller also condemned remarks by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who on Monday called for the execution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court recently.
“So those comments, I’d say, are unfortunately what we would expect from the leader of a country that is a state sponsor of terrorism. When it comes to tensions in the region, obviously those comments are not helpful,” Miller said about Khamenei’s remarks.
