Iran Diplomacy Nerves Fray as Atomic Talks Run Into Summer
- Negotiators delay seventh round with no resumption date fixed
- Expired IAEA monitoring pact is said to be closer to failure
The Grand Hotel, venue for the Iran nuclear program talks, in Vienna.
Photographer: Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty ImagesDiplomats negotiating for months over Iran’s nuclear program now face the prospect of new delays and rising risk that they’ll fail to resurrect a landmark deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers.
Envoys won’t reconvene as planned this week in Vienna and aren’t sure when a seventh round of diplomacy will be scheduled, according to four officials who asked not to be identified discussing the talks. Negotiations are being closely watched by energy markets because of the potential flood of Iranian oil that would be unleashed by a return to the agreement, which capped the Persian Gulf country’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief and unraveled with the Trump administration’s 2018 exit.