Iran has shut down nuclear talks in Vienna and returned to Tehran in response to the United States’ blacklisting of companies that were found to have violated sanctions.
“The Iranian negotiators interrupted the talks with the P5+1 for consultations in Tehran,” a spokesperson for the group told Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, on Friday, according to Agence France-Presse reported. The P5+1 refers to the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany.
AFP reported that Iran had sent a team of negotiators to talk about the long-term fate of a landmark interim agreement that had been forged last month with the six nations.
But when Washington politicos discovered several overseas companies had been doing business with Iran — a violation of existing sanctions — the U.S. sent out a blacklist warning.
Tehran was angered by the blacklisting, which it called a violation of last month’s agreement, AFP reported.
Under the terms of that interim, Iran will stop pursuing parts of its nuclear development program for at least six months if the West pulls back on some sanctions that have cost Tehran and estimated $7 billion.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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