ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The United States on Monday said that Washington will not make “concessions” to convince Iran to abide by the 2015 nuclear agreement, but that it is ready to discuss lifting some sanctions if Tehran returns to full compliance with the deal. “The United States will not make unilateral gestures or concessions to get Iran – to induce Iran to a better place,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a press conference, noting that the initial formula of the nuclear agreement is still in effect today - the limited lifting of nuclear sanctions in exchange for permanent and verifiable restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. The landmark deal, designed to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief, reached in 2015 between Iran and the 5 + 1 group (the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France, in addition to Germany). The agreement has come to be called the 4 + 1 group after Washington's withdrawal in 2018 from the agreement under former President Donald Trump, who re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Tehran. Trump argued that the deal did not guarantee Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons and that Iran was destabilizing the Middle East through armed proxy groups across the region. The signatories to the nuclear agreement in 2015 will meet in Vienna on Tuesday, to pave the way for the return of the United States to this agreement. “Our goal at these talks in Vienna, again, is to set the stage for that mutual return to compliance,” Price said. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a press conference on Monday that what is required in the meeting, which Washington will join “without holding direct talks” with the Iranian delegation, is "one step" to lift US sanctions, state media outlet IRNA reported. Tehran affirms the priority of lifting sanctions before returning to the terms of the agreement. "The path is clear. The US sanctions must be fully lifted, it must be verified, and after that Iran takes its step," Khatibzadeh said, adding, "There is only one step, not a step by a step. The step is the lifting of all US sanctions, and in return, Iran is ready to stop its compensatory measures," Khatibzadeh said. IRNA struck a positive tone on Tuesday about the upcoming talks and welcomed the participation of the US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley in the talks. “Even if the US suggestions are rejected by Iran in Vienna and no direct or indirect talks take place between Tehran and Washington, Malley’s presence conveys the message to the world and the Iranian side that the new US team is after reducing tension,” reads an IRNA analysis piece published on Tuesday contrasting the new administration stance on Iran with the belligerence of Trump’s former administration. "I can say with certainty that in near future, the American government has no option but to end its illegal acts, unilateral sanctions and violation of the international agreements will end," Iranian government spokesperson Ali Rabei said in a press conference on Tuesday.
