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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington does not appear to be taking any steps to lift sanctions, and indicated that his country will suspend the additional protocol on February 23.
In an interview with Iranian television, Araghchi added that “suspending the additional protocol does not mean Tehran’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal.”
He noted that “the way back to the agreement will be open and Tehran will be able to withdraw from the suspension of the additional protocol and from all measures to reduce compliance in case the sanctions are lifted.”
He continued: “The 1 + 5 group does not exist today, and Washington has no right to refer to this group. We only have the 1 + 4 group, and the United States can join it, provided the sanctions are lifted.”
Araghchi considered that “the nuclear agreement is one of the achievements of the Democrats in the United States, and returning to it is one of the electoral slogans of US President Joe Biden, but his administration has not yet made a decision on returning to it.
And he stressed that “what Iran did not yield under maximum pressure in the era of former President Donald Trump, it will not abandon in the political negotiations of the Biden era.”
He noted that “any negotiation with the parties to the nuclear agreement will seek to implement the signed nuclear agreement and not to conclude a new agreement.”
Araghchi added that “the political steps of the Biden administration are of political and legal value, but the lifting of sanctions is the standard for Iran.”
He said that “the United States can expect token action from Iran should it take token political action.”
He noted that “the visit of the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency to Iran has nothing to do with the decision to suspend the additional protocol next Tuesday.”
On the other hand, he indicated that “his country will not negotiate or negotiate at all about its missile system and its role in the region, neither now nor in the future.”
Araghchi considered that “the nuclear agreement is still alive thanks to Iran and not to the European countries.”
He said: “In the event that Washington lifts the sanctions immediately, Tehran would be ready to implement all its commitments at once.”
He continued: The dispute between Iran and the United States will not end even if it returns to the nuclear deal and lifts the sanctions, because we will not give up compensation for the losses that Iran suffered after Washington’s withdrawal from the deal.
He indicated that his country “is studying the European proposal to hold an informal meeting of the 4 + 1 group and Iran, with the participation of Washington as a guest.” He said: “We are consulting with Russia and China on this proposal.”
Source: RT
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