Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei said Feb. 7 that Iran would return to the 2015 nuclear deal only if the United States lifted sanctions on the country, saying it was a “final and irreversible” unanimous decision by Iran.
Khamenei, 81, made the remarks on Sunday (Feb. 7) during a meeting with Iranian air force commanders, Iranian state-run television said. Khamenei also said Iran must verify that the U.S. sanctions are indeed lifted before returning to the deal.
A day earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif warned that the Iran nuclear deal would be in greater danger if the U.S. did not ease sanctions on Iran by Feb. 21, as the recent bill passed by Iran’s parliament forced the government to harden its stance on the nuclear issue and now “leaves little Time for the Americans,” the Iranian daily said. Iran may elect a hard-line president this June.
Iran announced last month that it was resuming enrichment of uranium up to 20 percent, i.e., back to pre-Iran nuclear deal levels. Iranian officials said the enriched uranium refining capacity at the Natanz nuclear facility has been upgraded.
Reuters said President Joe Biden said after his inauguration that the U.S. would act if Tehran reverted to strict implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. New U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken has said similarly.
The report cited sources as saying that President Biden may sign an executive order reversing former President Trump‘s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. However, the Biden Administration would not consider allowing Iranian oil to be sold on the international market.
The report also said the Biden administration wants to use Iran’s return to the Iran nuclear deal as an opportunity to reach a broader agreement that includes elements such as Iran’s ballistic missile program and limits Iran’s missile development and activities within the Middle East, although Tehran has said it will not participate in such negotiations.
The Iranian nuclear issue is a long-standing one, with Iran reaching a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue with the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany in July 2015. In 2018, the Trump Administration announced that it was withdrawing from the agreement and reinstating sanctions against Iran, including blocking Iranian oil exports, as it argued that the deal was “only good for Iran.”
Khamenei’s latest statement on the Iranian nuclear issue coincides with the weekend, and the official reaction of the United States and other countries involved in the Iranian nuclear issue is not known.
A CBS News interview broadcast Sunday showed that when President Biden was asked directly whether the United States would lift sanctions first to allow Iran to return to negotiations, Biden’s answer was simple: “No.”
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