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Iranian foreign minister says US should quickly rejoin Iran deal

(Worthy News) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday that the US should quickly rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Iran deal, because the upcoming Iranian elections may hinder any talks about it, the Washington Times reports. The JCPOA is a treaty under which international sanctions on Iran would be removed in exchange for the regime’s adherence to limits on its nuclear program.

The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, reimposing sanctions on Iran and adding others. Iran gradually went on to publicly abandon all semblance of compliance with the deal.

President Joe Biden has now expressed interest in lifting sanctions on Iran, and rejoining the deal, but only if the Iranian regime demonstrates “strict compliance” with its treaty obligations, the Washington Times said. Iran, however, says it will only comply with terms of the deal if the US first lifts the sanctions.

Making his remarks during an online conference with the European Policy Centre in Brussels, Zarif explained that Iran doesn’t see “any reason for talks [with the US about the deal]” and that “we can go immediately to implementation and then have talks,” the Washington Times reports.

Urging the US to speedy action, Zarif said the upcoming Iranian elections could result in a “lame duck” government that would be unable to do “anything serious” for six months. “A lot of things can happen between now and September. So, it is advisable for the United States to move fast,” Zarif stated.