The Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed today that if U.S. sanctions against Iran are not lifted completely, Tehran will continue to reduce its nuclear commitments.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh warned in a press conference today of a "missed opportunity," calling on the Biden administration to return to the nuclear agreement. Khatibzadeh stated that Iran's position on the nuclear deal is firm, and if U.S. sanctions are not lifted in full, the country will continue to reduce its commitments.
He added, "If we want a serious stance from the new U.S. government, it should be a return to the nuclear agreement and lifting of sanctions,” pointing out that “the new U.S. administration should not continue the actions of the previous government and should return to the right path."
Earlier, Biden expressed that "the United States will return to the agreement if Iran resumes strict compliance with it."
International powers and Iran reached an agreement regarding Iran's nuclear program, which included reducing Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international economic sanctions imposed on it. However, the Trump administration withdrew from the agreement and intensified sanctions on Tehran in an attempt to force it into broader negotiations addressing its ballistic missile program and support for its proxies in the Middle East.
Since Trump's withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, Iran has progressively exceeded the basic restrictions of the deal by increasing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium, enriching uranium to a higher purity level, and using advanced centrifuges.
