UN nuclear watchdog head says time running out to reach nuclear deal with Iran

TEHRAN, Iran — UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi says that Iran and the United States were running out of time to secure a deal as they prepare to hold fresh nuclear talks this weekend.

Iranian and US delegations are to gather in Rome on Saturday for a second round of Omani-mediated negotiations, a week after the longtime foes held their highest-level talks since US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear accord in 2018.

“We are in a very crucial stage of these important negotiations. We know we don’t have much time, this is why I am here … to facilitate this process,” Grossi says on a visit to Tehran.

“We are working hard and we want to succeed,” he tells a joint news conference with Iran’s atomic energy agency chief Mohammad Eslami, acknowledging that the search for a deal was “not an easy process.”