The European Union has announced that talks to revive the deal to limit Iran’s nuclear programme would be paused after last-minute Russian demands threatened to torpedo the negotiations.

After 11 months of negotiations, “a final text is essentially ready and on the table,” Josep Borrell said, but he blamed “external factors” for the delay.

Talks started in Vienna last April, seeking to resurrect the deal that Donald Trump, the former US president, abandoned in 2018.

Iran, which responded to reimposed US sanctions by steadily reneging on its own commitments under the agreement, has sought the lifting of all sanctions plus assurances from Washington that it would not withdraw again in the future.

“As coordinator, I will, with my team, continue to be in touch with all … participants and the US to overcome the current situation and to close the agreement,” Mr Borrell wrote.

Call on Russia not to sabotage deal

Western powers on Tuesday cautioned Russia against sabotaging the negotiations, warning that “the window of opportunity is closing”. Russia is a signatory to the agreement alongside the other permanent members of the UN Security Council, Germany and the European Union.

“We call on all sides to make the decisions necessary to close this deal now, and on Russia not to add extraneous conditions to its conclusion,” Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement to the UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation board of governors.

Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, dismissed as “irrelevant” Russian demands for guarantees that Western sanctions targeting Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine would not affect its business with Iran.

“Russia is trying to up the ante and broaden its demands with regard to the [nuclear deal] and we are not playing ‘Let’s make a deal’,” said Victoria Nuland, the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

Russia’s top negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov said claims that Moscow was “dominating” the negotiations was “misinformation”. “This is flattering but nonsense,” he said on Twitter.

New demands ‘complicating’ negotiations

Iran meanwhile on Thursday accused the US of introducing new demands of the nuclear deal and of “complicating” negotiations.

“There is no rational justification for some of the new demands made by the United States, and it contradicts the country’s position on reaching an agreement swiftly,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a phone call with Mr Borrell, his ministry reported.

Mr Amir-Abdollahian did not specify the demands, but said “the US cannot pass on a new and different message to us every day through the coordinator”, in reference to the EU.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran’s top security official Ali Shamkhani tweeted that “Vienna negotiations are becoming more complicated every hour without a political decision by the United States”.

“US approach to Iran’s principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement, show that US isn’t interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties,” he added.

A pause in the talks could give “momentum” to resolve any remaining issues, according to Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh. “Successful conclusion of talks will be the main focus of all,” he wrote on Twitter. “No external factor will affect our joint will to go forward for a collective agreement.”

Diplomats have been suggesting an agreement was likely “within days” for the United States to rejoin the deal it quit in 2018 and for Iran to return to compliance by again limiting its nuclear programme.

“It’s really down to a very small number of outstanding issues,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a news conference on Thursday.