Hamenei: "The US Must Lift Iran Sanctions First to Restore Nuclear Deal"

Iran Welcomes Biden's Declaration to Halt Support for Yemen Civil War

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] Iran's Supreme Leader has urged that if the United States wants Iran to fulfill its nuclear agreement obligations, it must first completely lift sanctions against Iran. This is interpreted as a clear statement that the Biden administration must lift sanctions on Iran before restoring the nuclear deal.

According to AFP and others on the 7th (local time), Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in a speech to Air Force commanders ahead of the 42nd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, demanded, "If the United States wants Iran to return to its (nuclear agreement) obligations, the U.S. must completely lift sanctions." He emphasized, "The U.S. must take measures to lift sanctions not only in words or documents but also through actions."

Khamenei also posted on his Twitter that "Iran has fulfilled all its obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement, but the U.S. and three European countries have not," calling for the lifting of U.S. sanctions.

AP News reported that Khamenei's remarks on the U.S. came for the first time since U.S. President Joe Biden expressed willingness to restore the nuclear deal with Iran.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the U.S., UK, France, Russia, China) plus Germany, stipulates that Iran will abandon nuclear development in exchange for the six countries lifting economic sanctions on Iran. However, in May 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal and reinstated sanctions on Iran, leading Iran to take stepwise measures to reduce its compliance, putting the agreement at risk of collapse.

The Biden administration, inaugurated on the 20th of last month, expressed willingness to restore the Iran nuclear deal that the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from, but set the precondition that Iran must resume fulfilling its obligations.

Meanwhile, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed President Biden's announcement to end the years-long civil war in Yemen. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said on the same day, "(The U.S.) suspension of support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition could be a step toward correcting past mistakes, provided it is not a political maneuver."

President Biden declared in his first foreign policy speech on the 4th after taking office that the U.S. would end its support for the Saudi-led military operations in Yemen. He also appointed career diplomat Tim Lenderking as the special envoy for Yemen. Saudi Arabia has supported the Yemeni government fighting against the Houthi rebels linked to Iran, a regional rival in the Middle East, and the U.S. has supported the Saudi-led military coalition.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.