The stated U.S. aim when indirect U.S.-Iranian talks resume this month is to see if the two can revive a 2015 nuclear deal, but Washington's unspoken goal may be to win support from China and Russia to pressure Iran if the talks fail, diplomats have said.
Western diplomats have said time is running low to resurrect the pact, which then-U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, earning Iran's fury and the dismay of the remaining major powers in the pact — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
Under the agreement, Iran limited its nuclear program in exchange for relief from U.S., EU and U.N. economic sanctions. Trump's 2018 decision to reimpose harsh U.S. sanctions prompted Tehran to begin breaching the deal's nuclear restrictions.
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