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Western leaders express 'grave, growing concern' over Iran's nuclear program
Meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit comes at a pivotal time with regard to Iran's nuclear program
US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Macron and outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday expressed "grave, growing concerns" over Iran's nuclear ambitions in a statement following a meeting on the sidelines of G20 talks in Rome.
"We are convinced that it remains possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to full compliance," the statement further read. "This will only be possible if Iran changes course."
The meeting on Iran took place as the heads of the world's 20 biggest economies kicked off two days of talks in Rome, Italy where they were set to talk about climate change and a minimum tax agreement.
The summit comes at a pivotal time, as Iran continues to enrich uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.
The Biden administration is trying to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and bring Iran back into compliance with the pact intended to keep the Islamic Republic at least one year away from the potential to produce a nuclear weapon.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan earlier in the day said that the meeting would feature the leaders “all singing from the same song sheet on this issue," calling it a “study in contrast with the previous administration since Iran was one of the areas of most profound divergence between the previous administration and the Europeans.”