Iranian regime wants US to lift all sanctions before starting negotiations to reactivate nuclear deal

Iran wants US to lift sanctions, reject “step by step” easingThe Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, ahead of talks scheduled in Vienna next week on reactivating the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

The comments came when France urged Iran to be constructive in indirect talks with Washington in the Austrian capital, which will be part of broader negotiations.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran opposes any gradual easing of sanctions. “No progressive plan is envisaged, ”Khatibzadeh told state broadcaster Press TV. “The ultimate policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the lifting of all US sanctions.”

Khatibzadeh’s words came after US State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter stressed that the meeting scheduled for next week in the Austrian capital, Vienna, will focus on “the nuclear measures Iran should take to re-comply with the clauses. nuclear. agreement. “.

“We do not foresee specific sanctions, but we say with certainty that there are steps that the United States must take to relax the sanctions in order to comply (by Iran), they are also open for discussion. Porter added at a press conference.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear pact in 2018 and reimposed sanctions against Iran, which prompted Tehran to violate some of the nuclear restrictions of the agreement. Trump’s successor Joe Biden wants to reactivate the deal, but Washington and Tehran disagree on who should take the first step. The US State Department said the Vienna talks would focus on “the nuclear steps Iran should take to return to compliance” with the nuclear deal.

Iran, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain – all parties to the 2015 agreement – held virtual talks on Friday to discuss a possible return of the United States to the ‘agreement.

Following a call with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement he called on Iran to avoid further violations of its nuclear commitments .

The Iranian authorities announced the withdrawal of their commitments on several points of the agreement, which raised fears among the rest of the signatories of a possible collapse of the pact. However, Tehran has always maintained that these measures can be reversed if the United States withdraws the sanctions and returns to the agreement.

Tehran also rejected the US demands and they pointed out that it was Washington that unilaterally withdrew from the deal and imposed sanctions, thus demanding that the US revert to the deal before setting terms. He also refused to include his missile program in the negotiations.

With information from Reuters and Europa Press

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