Iran Urges West Not to Delay Nuclear Deal Revival

Mon May 08 2023
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TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday that it is possible to salvage an agreement on restarting its nuclear deal if Western countries, particularly the United States, put an end to repeated delays.

It comes five years after the United States withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal that granted Iran relief from international sanctions in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.

An agreement “is possible in terms of both technical and political aspects,” said Nasser Kanani, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry.

US and Iran agreement

He argued that “the other sides, especially the US, have procrastinated” on resurrecting the agreement while expressing hope that they will show “political determination” to return to its implementation.

Exactly five years ago, then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to backtrack on obligations meant to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, an aim Iran has consistently denied.

Iran’s aim, according to Kanani, is “not to allow issues related to Iran’s peaceful nuclear activity to become a roadblock in the process of Iran’s cooperation” with the UN nuclear watchdog.

Rafael Grossi, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), visited Tehran in March after his agency’s inspectors discovered uranium particles enriched to just below weapons-grade levels in the country.

Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has stated that it has not attempted to enrich uranium above 60 percent purity, citing the possibility of unexpected variations during the enrichment process.

Kanani continued that the Islamic Republic of Iran is moving on the roadmap within the framework of Grossi’s visit to Iran and in this regard, practical and operational measures are being taken.

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