Iran supports resuming nuclear talks if they lead to lifting ‘all sanctions’

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said he supports the resumption of negotiations aimed at reviving the nuclear deal if the “ultimate goal” is to lift all unjust sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.

“The Islamic Republic considers the useful talks whose ultimate outcome is the lifting of all oppressive [US] sanctions,” Raisi said in a recorded address to the annual UN General Assembly.

Indirect talks held in Vienna between the Iranians and the Americans mediated by other parties to the 2015 deal made significant progress in the spring. However, the talks stalled since the hard-line conservative president came to power.

Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions previously lifted under the pact, forcing Tehran to gradually withdraw from commitments to curb its nuclear programme.

However, current US President Joe Biden yesterday said he would rejoin the agreement if Tehran returned to all its previous pledges.

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