The representatives of US President-elect Joe Biden have not contacted the Iranian side about the possibility of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday
TEHRAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th November, 2020) The representatives of US President-elect Joe Biden have not contacted the Iranian side about the possibility of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday.
During his presidential campaign, Biden said he would rejoin the deal � abandoned by the Trump administration � "as a starting point for follow-on negotiations" if Tehran gave up the nuclear stockpile it has amassed in violation of the agreement and return to full compliance. Iran, on the other hand, said the US must first return to its international commitments before further discussions.
"No. The new government has not come to power yet. After it comes to power, we will make decisions in accordance with the new environment and conditions," Khatibzadeh said at a briefing, while answering questions on whether Biden's representatives had contacted Tehran over issues related to the nuclear deal before or after the elections were called in several states.
According to the Iranian foreign minister, Tehran needs to look at the actions of the future US president.
He noted that the nuclear deal could not be "reopened" for the discussion and that the future US administration must change its approach to decision-making and communication with the whole world and Iran.
In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) with the United States, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. It required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption.
The deal was dubbed one of the biggest diplomatic achievements of former US President Barack Obama's administration, of which Biden was vice president. In 2018, US President Donald Trump abandoned the landmark deal and implemented hard-line policies against Tehran. Since Trump's decision to leave the JCPOA, tensions between the US and Iran have escalated, with Iran announcing that it would no longer follow the 2015 nuclear deal.
