Despite the waning prospects of reviving the Iranian nuclear deal, a United States official told Saudi media on Sunday that there was still potential to bring Washington and Tehran back into full compliance with the agreement.
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"We believe that the nuclear deal is possible, but it depends on Iran," Bill Russo, deputy assistant secretary of state for strategic messaging in the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The agreement will "provide the international community with real achievements in the field of non-proliferation [of nuclear weapons] and contribute to a greater regional stability. We will continue to conduct assessments, but the decision is up to Iran – to decide whether to return to the deal or stay away from the international community," Russo said.
Nevertheless, he clarified that Washington shared the International Atomic Energy Agency's concerns over the ayatollah regime's lack of transparency with regard to its nuclear sites.
On June 9, Director-general of the IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi said the Tehran removed 27 surveillance cameras from nuclear sites across the country, inflicting a "fatal blow" to the tattered nuclear deal. A day earlier, the IAEA's board of governors censured the Islamist republic for failing to provide "credible information" over man-made nuclear material found at three of its undeclared sites.
When asked about Iranian support of terror organizations across the Middle East, Russo said that "negotiations in Vienna are focused on the nuclear matter. Of course, there are serious concerns about Iran's behavior that undermines regional stability, and its missile programs and much of its regional policy." Russo stressed that these issues too must be be addressed.
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