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An Iranian government official said on Sunday that Tehran wouldn’t accept to resume talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that former U.S. president Donald Trump denounced, demanding the U.S. lift economic and trade sanctions against the country.
- “The U.S. should end its illegal and unilateral sanctions and return to its JCPOA commitments,” said a foreign ministry spokesman quoted by The Wall Street Journal. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the formal name of the 2015 deal.
- President Joe Biden had said on Wednesday that the U.S. was ready for talks on how both sides could resume compliance with the agreement.
- The new U.S. administration has insisted that Iran should first comply with the agreement, which it has gradually breached in the last two years, before formal, direct talks can happen.
Read: Biden orders airstrikes against Iran-backed militia in Syria
The outlook: Iran’s decision is hardly the end of the diplomatic story.
A White House spokesperson said Washington was “disappointed” by Iran’s decision, but remained “ready to reengage in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance” with the 2015 accord.
Read: Biden rejects lifting sanctions against Iran first to revive nuclear deal
