Iran top diplomat urges Biden to return to nuclear deal
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[February 06, 2021]
(Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister
urged Washington to act fast to return to the nuclear accord, pointing
out that legislation passed by parliament forces the government to
harden its nuclear stance if U.S. sanctions are not eased by Feb. 21.
Mohammad Javad Zarif also referred to elections in Iran in June. If a
hardline president is elected, this could further jeopardize the deal.
“Time is running out for the Americans, both because of the parliament
bill and the election atmosphere that will follow the Iranian New Year,”
Zarif said in an interview with Hamshahri newspaper published on
Saturday
Iran’s new year begins on March 21.
The parliament, dominated by hardliners, passed the legislation in
December that set a two-month deadline for an easing of sanctions.
President Joe Biden’s administration is exploring ways to restore the
2015 nuclear deal that Iran signed with major world powers but that was
abandoned in 2018 by former President Donald Trump, who restored
sanctions.
Iran retaliated by breaching the terms of the accord in a step-by-step
response. Last month, it resumed enriching uranium to 20% at its
underground Fordow nuclear plant - a level it achieved before the
accord.
Biden has said that if Tehran returned to strict compliance with the
pact, Washington would follow suit and use that as a springboard to a
broader agreement that might restrict Iran's missile development and
regional activities.
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Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks at the
presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 14, 2020. Dalati Nohra/Handout
via REUTERS
Tehran has insisted that Washington ease sanctions before it resumes
compliance, and ruled out negotiations on wider security issues.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Iran on Friday in a
virtual meeting with his British, French and German counterparts as
the group weighed how to revive the deal.
“The more America procrastinates, the more it will lose … it will
appear that Mr. Biden’s administration doesn’t want to rid itself of
Trump’s failed legacy,” Zarif said in the interview.
“We don’t need to return to the negotiating table. It’s America that
has to find the ticket to come to the table,” he added.
On Monday, Zarif hinted at a way to resolve the impasse over which
side moves first, by saying the steps could be synchronized.
(dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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