Iran Nuclear Deal: US Sanctions Will Not Be Lifted for Talks, Says Biden

Iran’s fulfillment of the 2015 nuclear deal is the only criteria for US President Joe Biden to lift the economic sanctions on the Islamic country; this is made public by President Joe Biden during an interview held by CBS News aired on Sunday.

In his publicized speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, retorted that Tehran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal is only feasible if the United States first lifted all economic sanctions.

The Nuclear deal that was made in 2015 strives to limit Iran’s nuclear program with sanctions ease in return.

Iran was steered to slide backward on many of its commitments when the United States former President Donald Trump resigned the US from the nuclear deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions.

Enriched uranium is used to create reactor fuel and nuclear bombs. Iran claims the nuclear program is peaceful and has been boosting its stockpile of enriched uranium without any extremities.

The 2015 nuclear deal is a treaty finalized between Iran, the US, China, Germany, France, UK, and Russia. Under the terms, Tehran concurred to put considerable thresholds to its uranium enrichment and permit its site and facilities to be accessed by foreign inspectors. In this light, Tehran is made free from its sanctions.

In 2018, US former President Donald Trump repealed the US from the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which stemmed from a measure to enforce Iran to adjust to a new agreement, and reinstated economic sanctions.

Donald Trump attempted to subdue Tehran’s nuclear program to endless curbs and hinder ballistic missile production.

Iran couldn’t agree to this, and in July 2019, it exceeded the 3.67% cap on uranium enrichment and resumed enriching Uranium and weapons-grade Uranium to 20% and 90% purity, respectively, which is being announced this year January. The two sides almost came close to war during Donald Trump’s presidency.

During the interview on Sunday, President Joe Biden was asked if he would halt economic sanctions to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table, and he replied: “No.”

Meanwhile, Ali Khamenei announced that ” for Iran to return to its commitments under the deal, the US must first abolish all sanctions,” Iranian state TV reported on Sunday.

“We will assess, and if we see that they have acted faithfully in this regard, we will return to our commitment,” he said, adding: “It is the irreversible and final decision and all Iran officials have consensus over it.”