New White House Press Secretary:
U.S. to ‘Lengthen Nuclear Constraints’ on Iran
WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- The United States seeks to lengthen and strengthen the nuclear constraints on Iran through diplomacy and the issue will be part of President Joe Biden’s early talks with foreign counterparts and allies, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Biden has said that if Tehran resumed strict compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement - under which Iran restrained its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions - Washington would too.
"The president has made clear that he believes that through follow-on diplomacy, the United States seeks to lengthen and strengthen nuclear constraints on Iran and address other issues of concern. Iran must resume compliance with significant nuclear constraints under the deal in order for that to proceed,” Psaki said in a briefing.
"We would expect that some of his earlier conversations with foreign counterparts and foreign leaders will be with partners and allies and you would certainly anticipate that this would be part of the discussions,” Psaki added.
Former President Donald Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and Iran in return has gradually scaled back its compliance, building up its stockpile of low enriched uranium, enriching uranium to higher levels of purity and installing centrifuges in response to the other sides’ breaches and failures to support Tehran.
On Tuesday, Biden’s nominee for secretary of state Antony Blinken said Washington did not face a quick decision on whether to rejoin the nuclear deal and the Democratic president would need to see what Iran actually did to resume complying with the pact.
Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "we are a long way from there” that Biden’s ultimate goal is a deal that would also limit Iran’s missile capability and support for resistance movement in the region, something Iran has rejected.
Tehran has repeatedly called on Washington to lift sanctions first and respect its own obligations under the agreement, besides compensating for damage done to the country because of its hostile policies.
Biden has said that if Tehran resumed strict compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement - under which Iran restrained its nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions - Washington would too.
"The president has made clear that he believes that through follow-on diplomacy, the United States seeks to lengthen and strengthen nuclear constraints on Iran and address other issues of concern. Iran must resume compliance with significant nuclear constraints under the deal in order for that to proceed,” Psaki said in a briefing.
"We would expect that some of his earlier conversations with foreign counterparts and foreign leaders will be with partners and allies and you would certainly anticipate that this would be part of the discussions,” Psaki added.
Former President Donald Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and Iran in return has gradually scaled back its compliance, building up its stockpile of low enriched uranium, enriching uranium to higher levels of purity and installing centrifuges in response to the other sides’ breaches and failures to support Tehran.
On Tuesday, Biden’s nominee for secretary of state Antony Blinken said Washington did not face a quick decision on whether to rejoin the nuclear deal and the Democratic president would need to see what Iran actually did to resume complying with the pact.
Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "we are a long way from there” that Biden’s ultimate goal is a deal that would also limit Iran’s missile capability and support for resistance movement in the region, something Iran has rejected.
Tehran has repeatedly called on Washington to lift sanctions first and respect its own obligations under the agreement, besides compensating for damage done to the country because of its hostile policies.
"The ball is in the U.S. court now. If Washington returns to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, we will also fully respect our commitments under the pact,” President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.
The Iranian parliament has passed a law that demanded the government to resume uranium enrichment to a purity level of 20 percent.
The decision came shortly after top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in late November.
Israeli television on Wednesday reported that the occupying regime is warning an American return to the former terms of the nuclear deal with Iran under Biden could lead the countries to a crisis in relations.
Channel 12 news cited "a very senior Israeli official” as saying: "If Biden adopts Obama’s plan, we will have nothing to talk about with him.” The official was referencing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by former president Barack Obama in 2015.
The Iranian parliament has passed a law that demanded the government to resume uranium enrichment to a purity level of 20 percent.
The decision came shortly after top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in late November.
Israeli television on Wednesday reported that the occupying regime is warning an American return to the former terms of the nuclear deal with Iran under Biden could lead the countries to a crisis in relations.
Channel 12 news cited "a very senior Israeli official” as saying: "If Biden adopts Obama’s plan, we will have nothing to talk about with him.” The official was referencing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by former president Barack Obama in 2015.