Time 'running out' to restore Iran nuclear deal, UK warns

LONDON

Britain on Tuesday said the time to restore the nuclear agreement with Iran is “running out.”

The remarks by Prime Minister Boris Johnson came during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett.

The two leaders, among other issues, also “discussed the ongoing talks on the Iran nuclear deal in Vienna,” a government statement said.

“The Prime Minister said the UK wants to see the negotiations in Vienna lead to full restoration of the JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), but that we need Iran to engage in good faith,” according to the statement.

Johnson also said that “the diplomatic door is open, but time is running out to reach an agreement.”

The two prime ministers “welcomed plans to negotiate a UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and looked forward to a joint innovation summit in the UK later this year,” the statement said.

The eighth round of marathon talks between Iran and the P4+1 (Russia, China, France, UK and Germany) resumed in the Austrian capital last week.

The fresh round of talks is centered on Iran's key demand of lifting the sanctions imposed by the former US administration following its unilateral withdrawal from the landmark 2015 deal in May 2018.