Iran has halted nuclear talks with six major world powers after the United States expanded its blacklist on sanctions, accusing Washington of going against the spirit of last month’s landmark agreement on its nuclear programme.
The US on Thursday added new companies and individuals to a list of those under sanctions aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining the capability to make nuclear weapons.
"We are evaluating the situation and Iran will react accordingly to the new sanctions imposed on 19 companies and individuals. It is against the spirit of the Geneva deal," Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, told the Iranian Fars news agency on Friday.
Araghchi, who is also a member of Tehran's nuclear negotiating team, was referring to a November 24 interim agreement with the P5+1 countries (the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US) under which Tehran would curb its nuclear programme in exchange for limited relief from economic and trade sanctions over the next six months. The interim deal is seen as a step to a potential permanent agreement
| 