Iran nuclear warning: US urged to take swift action as Tehran eyes devastating new bomb

Negotiations with Tehran have been undergoing for months, with talks focusing on restarting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal which was abandoned by Donald Trump in 2018. Under its terms, Iran agreed to allow independent international observers to monitor its nuclear programme in return for the gradual easing of sanctions.

After Mr Trump dumped the controversial deal, his Democrat successor has strived to bring Iran back into the international fold.

But it has been far from forthcoming so far.

And with a deal yet to be agreed, Iran is just months away from having enough enriched uranium to build a viable nuclear weapon, according to observers.

Middle East expert and peace activist Maxim Gee shed light on the current situation which comes as the situation between Russia and Ukraine continues to command much of the world’s attention.

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Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “The Middle East situation is difficult and complex overall due to religious differences and numerous destabilising factors, which requires a broad, coherent plan of action.

“The efforts to bring more stability to the region on both sides take a lot of courage and deserve admiration.

“Seeing how things rapidly escalated in 2018 when the region was on the brink of a much bigger military conflict following the US withdrawal from the pact, it was nearly unimaginable to expect that Iran would return to diplomacy two years after President Joe Biden took office.

“The common goal is to secure the implementation of the JCPOA commitments by all  participants without possible interruption in the future and also take steps to prevent further destabilisation in Yemen, paving the way to a political solution.

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“Building trust and acting in solidarity is perhaps the biggest challenge.

“In my opinion, the population of the region affected by these events would seize the opportunity of conflict-free coexistence.

“Furthermore, the energy crisis will be eased once the supply chain is restored.”

Mr Gee added: “As long as the United States Government and its allies will support other important solutions in an impartial manner such as Palestine-Israel solution in favour of the 

people in the region, peace can be achieved.

“Vienna has been communicating with the Western coalition of Russia, Iran and China since February, but have yet to achieve anything concrete.”

On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossien Amirabdollahian said: “Iran is in a hurry to reach an agreement in Vienna […] but this should be within the framework of our national interest.”

He urged Western powers to stop “playing with time” and declared in a Tweet: “Good deal within reach in Vienna, if Western parties adopt [a] realistic approach,” while reiterating dire humanitarian efforts in Yemen and Afghanistan.

The 20-page draft agreement is largely written, but the outstanding issues show an absolute determination by the Iranian regime to ensure that it appears to emerge from the talks victoriously.