WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said he won’t lift sanctions against Iran as long as the Islamic republic is not adhering to its nuclear deal commitments.
Asked whether he would halt sanctions to convince Iran to return to the bargaining table, Biden offered a clear reply
in a CBS interview aired on Sunday: “No.”
The journalist then asked if the Iranians would first have to stop enriching uranium, which drew an affirmative nod from Biden. The 2015 landmark deal has been hanging by a thread since Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from it in 2018 and reimpose sanctions on Tehran.
Tehran a year later suspended its compliance with most key nuclear commitments to the deal.
The Biden administration has expressed willingness to return to the deal, but insisted that Tehran first resume full compliance.
Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke out in favour of the country returning to the 2015 Vienna nuclear agreement — but only if all US sanctions are lifted.
“For a return to the nuclear agreement, the US must lift all sanctions... in practice and not on paper’’, he told state TV. The nuclear deal was meant to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.
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