Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf confirmed that Washington must lift sanctions if it wants a nuclear agreement, noting that his country will not enter a new game for half promises.
Qalibaf added, "The Biden administration must clarify the mechanisms of its commitment to lifting sanctions instead of setting preconditions for returning to the agreement." He also revealed that the centrifuge machines have been set in motion, expressing hope to reactivate all closed and semi-closed factories.
The Iranian nuclear file faces significant complications. Since the United States withdrew from the agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group, the situation has become more entangled, particularly following the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last November, which darkened the landscape further. Iran has intensified its rhetoric, especially with the rise in U.S. sanctions related to Iranian oil exports. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, announced that Iran had notified the International Atomic Energy Agency of its intention to increase uranium enrichment. The Iranian parliament has passed a law allowing an increase in uranium enrichment by up to 20% in response to the assassination of its chief nuclear scientist. This legislation gives the Tehran government the authority to prevent UN inspectors from entering the nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordow.
On the other hand, the new U.S. administration has conditioned Iran's return to its commitments under the nuclear agreement as a prerequisite for its own return to the deal.
