US patience with Iran ‘not unlimited’: State Department spokesperson

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The United States has signaled growing frustration with Tehran over the nuclear deal, with State Department Spokesperson Ned Price saying US patience with Iran is “not unlimited” in a Wednesday press briefing. 

“Our patience is not unlimited, but we do believe that the most effective way to ensure Iran won't acquire a nuclear weapon was through diplomacy,” Price told reporters in Washington.

President Joe Biden’s administration has said it is willing to talk with Iran over a potential return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, from which President Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018, but only if Iran returns to full compliance with the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

Tehran has taken significant moves away from its commitments in the deal since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, when it reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran. On Tuesday, the IAEA said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium is now 14 times over the level allowed in the deal.

Iran has demanded a full lift of US sanctions before it returns to its obligations under the agreement, a request the US has denied.

“With our allies in P5+1, we are willing to engage in those consultations directly with Iran,” Price added, also saying the US has “full faith and confidence” in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom expressed their “deep regret” over Iran’s decision to suspend the nuclear deal’s  Additional Protocol – which allowed the IAEA to conduct snap inspections at undeclared nuclear sites. 

We urge Iran to stop and reverse all measures that reduce transparency and to ensure full and timely cooperation with the IAEA,” read a joint statement published by the British government.

Tehran had said it would block IAEA inspections if the US did not lift all sanctions on the country by Sunday. The agency announced a “temporary solution" with Iran on Tuesday, allowing it to conduct limited inspections in the country. 

Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said late Saturday that the "IAEA's inspection capability will be reduced by about 20-30 percent after the implementation of the parliament's law."