Iran has blamed the United States for delaying a nuclear deal

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister said on Thursday that his country was ready to reach a permanent agreement with world powers, blaming the United States for its latest failure to revive Tehran’s broken nuclear deal over a so-called “unrealistic approach”.

Speaking during a visit to Beirut, Hussein called on the United States to stop “wasting time.”

Earlier this month, before the nuclear talks came to an end, Russia demanded that its trade with Iran be exempted from Western sanctions on Ukraine, disrupting the process. The negotiators have not yet reunited in the Austrian capital, and it is unclear what obstacles lie ahead.

Amirabadullahian discussed with Lebanese officials a range of issues, including the parliamentary elections in the tiny Mediterranean country in May, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the latest progress in efforts to renew the nuclear deal.

“We believe that if the Americans have a realistic approach to dealing with the situation, we will soon see the birth of this nuclear deal,” he said. Asked about the main obstacles, he said: “Some issues are still pending and they are related to the lifting of unjust sanctions on Iran.”

“We believe that the United States should move in the right direction without wasting time,” he said without elaborating. “We are ready to reach a strong, good and lasting agreement, as long as it does not cross the red line of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Iran enjoys significant influence in Lebanon through the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which Tehran has funded and armed since the early 1980s. Amirabadullahian arrived in Lebanon on Thursday from neighboring Syria, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other top officials.

Iran is a strong ally of Assad and has sent thousands of pro-Iranian fighters from the region, including Hezbollah militants, to bolster Syrian government forces against the opposition in the 11-year-old Syrian conflict.

On Monday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signaled his support for Tehran’s nuclear talks to ease sanctions – a rare reference to the still stalled talks as a world power near a diplomatic juncture.

And last Friday, news of Tehran’s decision to recycle a fraction of its highly enriched uranium into a substance that could be used in medicine – rather than enriching it – at the weapons-grade level – indicates that the parties may still return. Vienna and reach an agreement.