Iran has agreed to resume negotiations with the United States about its nuclear program as early as December after President Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of a landmark deal to restrict Iran’s nuclear capabilities, a senior State Department official said Monday.
“As we’ve said repeatedly, after a long break we think this is the right time to have discussions with the Iranians,” the official said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The decision to restart negotiations follows Trump’s announcement in May that he would withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 agreement, which requires Iran to restrict its nuclear enrichment activities to prevent it from building a bomb in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran initially said it would be prepared to discuss any issues between the two countries, including the deal with the U.S., but has repeatedly insisted that the agreement stands.
National Security Adviser John Bolton said last week that Trump was considering a range of options to restrain Iran’s nuclear activities.
“Iran should think about how much it wants to bait the United States into a war,” Bolton said, according to the New York Times.