NEW YORK (Dispatches) – President Ebrahim Raisi said Wednesday Iran serious about reviving the 2015 nuclear deal but questioned whether it could trust America’s commitment to any eventual accord.
In 2018, former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a deal brokered by the Obama administration. That has led Tehran to abandon over time every limitation the accord imposed on its nuclear enrichment.
President Raisi addressed the UN General Assembly as talks to revive the nuclear deal approached a take-it-or-leave-it moment.
“Our wish is only one thing: observance of commitments,” Raisi said, noting it was the U.S. that pulled out of the accord.
He asked whether Iran can “truly trust without guarantees and assurances” that the U.S. will live up to its commitments this time.
European Union officials have warned the window for securing a deal is about to close.
“America trampled upon the nuclear accord,” said Raisi, who was sworn in as president only a year ago. His speech marks the first time he has taken the podium at the UN in his role as president. Last year, he delivered remarks to the assembly virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.
He also blasted what he said was lopsided scrutiny of Iran’s nuclear energy program while the nuclear weapons program of the occupying regime of Israel remains secret.
Raisi also told the gathered leaders that Iran wants to have “extensive relations with all our neighbors” — an apparent reference to foe Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries in the region.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have held a number of direct talks since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, though tensions remain high between the two. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates recent reopened