Iran’s latest response to the latest draft of the nuclear deal is a step “backwards,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.

Speaking to reporters from NATO headquarters in Belgium, Blinken said: “In past weeks, we closed some gaps. Iran had moved away from some extraneous demands, demands unrelated to the JCPOA itself. However, the latest response takes us backwards, and we are not about to agree to a deal that doesn’t meet our bottom-line requirements.”

“If we conclude a deal, it’s only because it will advance our national security.”

France, Germany and the UK released a statement on Saturday raising “serious doubts” about Iran’s intentions in seeking a nuclear agreement in light of its demands to close the International Atomic Energy Agency’s probes into the source of uranium particles found at several undeclared nuclear sites.

“This latest demand raises serious doubts as to Iran’s intentions and commitment to a successful outcome on the JCPOA,” the statement said.

“Unfortunately, Iran has chosen not to seize this critical diplomatic opportunity. Instead, Iran continues to escalate its nuclear program way beyond any plausible civilian justification.”

Earlier last week, the IAEA warned that Iran’s stockpile of highly-enriched uranium has surged by 29% in the previous three months. According to its report, Iran now has 55.6 kg of uranium which has been enriched to 60%, almost the level needed for a nuclear bomb.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)