ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi ruled out any possibility of a meeting with US President Joe Biden during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) as hopes to revive the 2015 nuclear deal fade.
In a television interview broadcasted Sunday, Raisi said he would not meet with Biden during his trip to New York.
“I do not think that such a meeting would happen," Raisi told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” program. "I do not believe having a meeting or a talk with him [Biden] will be beneficial,” he added.
Raisi early Monday left Tehran to attend the UNGA in which he is participating. He is expected to deliver a speech and meet with several heads of state, according to his office.
Drawing a comparison between Biden administration, which has sought to return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Programme of Action (JCPOA), and former president Donald Trump, Raisi said he sees “no change in reality.”
"The new administration in the US, they claim that they are different from the Trump administration. They have said it in their messages to us. But we have not witnessed any changes in reality," he said.
Tehran and Washington have engaged in talks for over a year aimed at securing a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, which heavily curbs Iran’s nuclear program. In return for restoring the agreement, Iran has demanded that the US lifts its sanctions on the country.
During the program, Raisi demanded US “guarantees” it will not withdraw from the deal again.
Raisi was unable to attend last year’s UNGA due to the coronavirus and a pre-recorded video of his address was played at the meeting instead.
The leader has been under US sanctions since November 2019. His name was added to Washington’s blacklist of Iranian officials when was still judiciary chief.
By Klawdia Martani
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