Iran
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani during his weekly press briefing on September 19, 2022. Photo: IRNA
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Monday did not rule out the possibility of talks on the future of the 2015 nuclear deal taking place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, attended by the Iranian president, as hopes of reviving the landmark accord fade.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s agenda in New York does not include direct talks on removing sanctions for the restoration of the nuclear deal, foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told reporters during his weekly press briefing.
However, the spokesperson said that “there would be also an opportunity for opinion exchanges on the nuclear issues and the talks to remove sanctions against Iran,” adding that international meetings serve as a good opportunity for officials of countries to hold talks on the sidelines.
“I do not rule out such a possibility,” Kanaani said, referring to discussions on the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA was signed between Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, and the United States in 2015, offering Iran sanctions relief in exchange for the curtailment of its nuclear program that it rapidly advanced following former US president Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from what he called the “terrible” deal in 2018, sparking concerns that Tehran is seeking to develop an atomic bomb.
Iran has on several occasions said that its nuclear program only serves a peaceful purpose.
“The sanctions are tyrannical. This is a tyranny against the people of Iran. It is important to us to have the sanctions lifted,” Raisi told CBS News’ 60 Minutes program on Sunday while reiterating previous remarks from Iranian officials that nuclear weapons “have no place in Iran’s doctrine.”
During the program, Raisi demanded US “guarantees” that it will not withdraw from the accord again.
“There will not be a better offer on the table and it is up to Iran to take the right decisions,” France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told reporters on the sidelines of the UNGA.
Following an early September report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that cast doubts on whether Iran’s nuclear program is solely peaceful, the UK, France, and Germany criticized Iran and blamed Tehran for continuing to “escalate its nuclear program beyond any plausible civilian justification.”
Iran soon slammed the statement from the European superpowers, labeling it as “deviant.”
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s agenda in New York does not include direct talks on removing sanctions for the restoration of the nuclear deal, foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told reporters during his weekly press briefing.
However, the spokesperson said that “there would be also an opportunity for opinion exchanges on the nuclear issues and the talks to remove sanctions against Iran,” adding that international meetings serve as a good opportunity for officials of countries to hold talks on the sidelines.
“I do not rule out such a possibility,” Kanaani said, referring to discussions on the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA was signed between Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, and the United States in 2015, offering Iran sanctions relief in exchange for the curtailment of its nuclear program that it rapidly advanced following former US president Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from what he called the “terrible” deal in 2018, sparking concerns that Tehran is seeking to develop an atomic bomb.
Iran has on several occasions said that its nuclear program only serves a peaceful purpose.
“The sanctions are tyrannical. This is a tyranny against the people of Iran. It is important to us to have the sanctions lifted,” Raisi told CBS News’ 60 Minutes program on Sunday while reiterating previous remarks from Iranian officials that nuclear weapons “have no place in Iran’s doctrine.”
During the program, Raisi demanded US “guarantees” that it will not withdraw from the accord again.
“There will not be a better offer on the table and it is up to Iran to take the right decisions,” France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told reporters on the sidelines of the UNGA.
Following an early September report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that cast doubts on whether Iran’s nuclear program is solely peaceful, the UK, France, and Germany criticized Iran and blamed Tehran for continuing to “escalate its nuclear program beyond any plausible civilian justification.”
Iran soon slammed the statement from the European superpowers, labeling it as “deviant.”
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