Iran quits nuke talks over U.S. expanding sanctions blacklist

Johannesburg – Iran has reportedly quit nuclear talks with the world powers, accusing the U.S. of going against the spirit of the interim agreement reached last month by expanding its sanctions blacklist.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said that they are considering an “appropriate response” to Washington for not abiding by the deal that assured no further sanctions will be imposed on Tehran for coming six months, News24 reports.

According to the report, the move came after Washington blacklisted a dozen companies and individuals for evading U.S. sanctions.

However, a spokesperson for European Union (EU) foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton said that both sides had gone back to respective countries for consultations and that she expected the talks to resume soon, the report added.

Iran had, meanwhile, agreed to freeze parts of its suspected nuclear programme for six months as part of the interim deal in return for some 7 billion dollars in relief from Western sanctions.