US must lift sanctions before return to nuclear deal, says Iran’s leader
7 February 2021, 10:54
The televised comments are Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s first since the inauguration of President Joe Biden, who has said he wants to rejoin the accord.
Iran’s supreme leader has said the US must lift all sanctions if it wants Iran to return to the nuclear deal with Western powers, state TV reported on Sunday.
The televised comments are Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s first since the inauguration of President Joe Biden, who has said he wants to rejoin the accord.
“If they want Iran to return to its commitments, the US must lift all sanctions in practice, then we will do verification and see if the sanctions were lifted correctly, then we will return to our commitments,” Mr Khamenei said.
Iran has threatened to expel UN nuclear inspectors, begun enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels, and ramped up its military drills, including firing cruise missiles as part of a naval drill in the Gulf of Oman last month.
Tensions have escalated between Iran and the US as Tehran seeks to quickly put pressure on the new Biden administration to ease the unprecedented sanctions imposed by former president Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 as part of what he called maximum pressure against Iran.
