On a Wednesday in Washington, beside the foreign ministers of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Tehran a warning that carries the weight of a closing door: the window to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement is narrowing. Such moments often arrive when patience and history have worn thin on every side, and the question becomes less about what was promised long ago than about what can still be recovered once time has changed the terrain. Blinken's message was that diplomacy remains the preferred road, yet roads require two travelers, and Washington has n
Blinken Warns Iran 'Time Is Running Short' as Nuclear Deal Talks Stall
"With every passing day... the runway gets short."
Mark
Blinken said time is running short. Why does that matter now?
Mimi
Talks have been on hold since Ebrahim Raisi won Iran's presidency in June. Washington says it's ready for indirect talks, and Iran says it will return to Vienna for a seventh round, but with no date.
Mark
He also said returning to compliance might not be enough anymore. What does that mean?
Mimi
His argument is that Iran has used the pause to advance its nuclear program in various ways, so simply going back to the deal's limits may not restore what the deal originally delivered.
Luke
Worth noting that's Blinken's characterization. In the reporting, he doesn't specify which advances he means, so we can't weigh that claim from this account alone.
Mark
And the "other options"?
Mimi
He said every option is on the table, but diplomacy remains the preferred path. He said it takes two, and he hasn't seen Iran willing.
Luke
Right, and "other options" is undefined. Nothing here says what they are or when they'd be used. Treat it as a warning, not a plan.
Mark
What did Lapid add?
Mimi
He called Iran a "nuclear threshold country" and said Israel reserves the right to act at any time, in any way, calling it a responsibility as well as a right.
Luke
That's a statement of position. It doesn't tell us Israel has decided on any action, and "threshold" is his label, not a figure we can check here.
Mark
Anything else from the meeting?
Mimi
Blinken said the US will build on the Abraham Accords and reopen the Jerusalem consulate that Trump closed in 2018.
The Pulse
- A Washington press conference turned a stalled nuclear negotiation into an open clock, with Blinken declaring that time is running short for Iran.
- Washington has signaled it will turn to unnamed 'other options' if Tehran does not resume compliance with the 2015 deal Iran has steadily violated since 2018.
- Blinken warns that simply returning to compliance may no longer restore the agreement's benefits, because Iran has used the pause to advance its nuclear program.
- Israel's foreign minister Yair Lapid calls Iran a 'nuclear threshold country' and asserts Israel's right to act at any moment, sharpening the regional alarm.
- The path forward hangs on a single open question: whether Iran names a date for a seventh round of Vienna talks, and whether Washington moves beyond words.
On a Wednesday in Washington, beside the foreign ministers of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Tehran a warning that carries the weight of a closing door: the window to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement is narrowing. Such moments often arrive when patience and history have worn thin on every side, and the question becomes less about what was promised long ago than about what can still be recovered once time has changed the terrain. Blinken's message was that diplomacy remains the preferred road, yet roads require two travelers, and Washington has not yet seen Iran step onto it.
Standing beside the foreign ministers of Israel and the United Arab Emirates in Washington on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a blunt message to Tehran: time is running short. If Iran does not resume compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, the United States is prepared to turn to "other options," though he did not spell out what those would be.
The agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, capped the purity and stockpile of Iran's enriched uranium in exchange for sanctions relief. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018, and Iran began steadily violating its terms. Talks have been stalled since June, when Ebrahim Raisi was elected in Iran. Tehran has said it is willing to return to Vienna for a seventh round, but has not named a date.
Blinken argued that the delay itself is changing the deal's value. Iran, he said, has used the time to advance its nuclear program in several ways, so a simple return to compliance may no longer bring back the agreement's full benefits. Diplomacy, he insisted, remains the most effective route, but it takes two to engage, and Washington has not seen that willingness from Iran.
The remarks followed a trilateral meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Blinken said the administration will build on the Abraham Accords and reopen the consulate in Jerusalem. Lapid was sharper, calling Iran a "nuclear threshold country" and asserting Israel's right to act at any moment.
The next signals to watch are whether Iran sets a firm date for Vienna, and whether Washington begins moving from diplomacy toward the options it has flagged.
Standing beside the foreign ministers of Israel and the United Arab Emirates at a Washington press conference on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a blunt message to Tehran: time is running short. If Iran does not resume compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, he said, the United States is prepared to turn to "other options."
Blinken framed the three governments as united on one point. Iran, he said, cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. He tied the narrowing window to Iranian conduct, saying that with every passing day, and with Iran's refusal to engage in good faith, the runway gets shorter.
The agreement at issue is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which capped the purity and the size of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile in return for sanctions relief. Former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it in 2018. Iran then began steadily violating its terms.
Blinken argued that the delay itself is changing the value of the deal. The United States is approaching a point, he said, at which simply returning to compliance will not by itself recapture the benefits of the agreement, because Iran has been using the time to advance its nuclear program in a variety of ways. He did not list those advances in his remarks as reported.
The diplomatic track has been stalled since June, when hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi was elected in Iran. Washington says it is ready to resume indirect talks aimed at reviving the deal. Iranian officials have said they are willing to return to Vienna for a seventh round of negotiations, but they have not named a date.
Blinken said diplomacy is still the most effective route. But he added that it takes two to engage in it, and that the United States has not seen Iran show that willingness at this point. The administration, he said, will look at every option for dealing with the challenge Iran poses, and is prepared to turn to other options if Tehran does not change course.
The press conference followed a trilateral meeting on Wednesday between Blinken, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan. Blinken said the Biden administration intends to build on the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. He also said the administration will go ahead with plans to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem. That consulate had served as a de facto embassy for the Palestinians until Trump closed it in 2018.
Lapid used sharper language about Iran. He said the country is becoming a "nuclear threshold country" and that Israel reserves the right to act at any moment and in any way. That, he said, is not only Israel's right but its responsibility, adding that Iran has publicly said it wants to wipe Israel out and that Israel does not intend to let that happen.
Two things to watch now: whether Iran sets a firm date for the seventh round in Vienna, and whether Washington begins moving from diplomacy toward the other options Blinken has flagged but not spelled out.
Notable Quotes
We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn't change course.— Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Israel reserves the right to act at any given moment in any way.— Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid
Want the full story?
Read the original at Al-Monitor ↗
Politics & Governance