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Official: Iran rejects new talks on nuclear deal

February 1, 2021 at 10:20 am

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh in Tehran, Iran on 5 October 2020 [Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency]

Iran refuses to conduct any further negotiations or involve any new partners in the 2015 nuclear deal, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday.

“The nuclear agreement is a multilateral international agreement ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and it is non-negotiable, and the parties to it are clear and not subject to change,” local media quoted Khatibzadeh as saying.

Earlier on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron called to involve Saudi Arabia in any new talks on the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Macron also stressed the need to avoid repeating “the mistake of excluding other countries in the region from discussions”, adding that any new talks on the deal should be “very strict”, warning that time to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is very short.

Responding to the French president’s remarks, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Macron must “show self-restraint”.

“If French officials are worried about their huge arms sales to Persian Gulf Arab states, they better reconsider their policies. French arms, along with other Western weapons, not only cause the massacre of thousands of Yemenis but are also the main cause of regional instability,” he said.

READ: Iran parliament speaker slams US conditions, says sanctions must be lifted

The new administration of US President Joe Biden said it would rejoin the agreement on the condition that Tehran fully complies with its commitments under the deal.

Tehran recently announced that it would exceed the uranium enrichment limits set under the nuclear agreement in response to the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the pact and the re-imposition of economic sanctions on Tehran.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE say the Gulf states should be involved in any talks on Iran’s nuclear programme and that the talks should also address Iran’s ballistic missile programme and Tehran’s support for proxy wars across the Middle East.

Iran Deal - Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

Iran Deal – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]