Joe Biden has announced that the United States will not remove its economic sanctions on Iran, saying that Iran must first comply with its nuclear deal commitments.
The confirmation by President Biden on the stance of the United States comes despite demands on Sunday from the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.
During an interview with CBS News, the current US president was asked if the United States will lift its sanctions first to bring Iran back to the negotiation table, to which he replied with a “no.”
The journalist then went on to ask if the Iranians would have to begin by halting the process of enriching uranium. Biden offered a clear yes through an affirmative nod.
The atomic deal was agreed upon in 2015 by the United States and other counties such as China, Russia, Germany, France, and Britain, after lengthy negotiations with Iran aiming to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons.
The agreement became contingent when Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, resuming the US sanctions on Tehran. A year later, Tehran abolished its compliance with most key nuclear commitments.
Facing the US firm stance is a similar position by Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, declared on Sunday that Iran won’t revert to the deal commitments unless the US “completely lifts” the sanctions first, “and not just in words or paper.”
Khamenei’s statement came during a speech broadcasted to Iran’s air force commanders.
Biden has previously stated that there might be a possibility of reviving the deal, but he emphasized that Iran must first backtrack on its nuclear steps.