Iran to reverse nuclear actions when US lifts sanctions

Tehran has set a February 23 deadline for Washington to begin reversing sanctions

Iran will "immediately reverse" actions in its nuclear programme once US sanctions are lifted, its foreign minister said on Friday, reacting coolly to Washington's initial offer to revive talks with Tehran aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal.

President Joe Biden's administration said on Thursday it was ready to talk to Iran about both nations returning to the accord, which aimed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons while lifting most international sanctions. Former President Donald Trump left the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Tehran said Washington's move was not enough to persuade Iran to fully respect the accord.

When sanctions are lifted, "we will then immediately reverse all remedial measures. Simple," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter.

Since Trump ditched the deal, Tehran has breached the accord by rebuilding stockpiles of low-enriched uranium, enriching it to higher levels of fissile purity and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up production.

Tehran and Washington have been at odds over who should make the first step to revive the accord. Iran says the United States must first lift Trump’s sanctions while Washington says Tehran must first return to compliance with the deal.

However, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was considering Washington's offer to talk about the revival of the deal.

"But first they should return to the deal. Then within the framework of the 2015 deal, a mechanism to basically synchronise steps can be discussed," the official said.

"We have never sought nuclear weapons and this is not part of our defence doctrine," the Iranian official said. "Our message is very clear. Lift all the sanctions and give diplomacy a chance."

Adding to the pressure for a resolution to the impasse, a law passed by the hardline parliament obliges Tehran on Feb. 23 to cancel the sweeping access given to U.N. non-proliferation inspectors under the 2015 deal, limiting their visits to declared nuclear sites only.

The United States and the European parties to the accord have urged Iran to refrain from taking the step, which will complicate Biden's efforts to restore the pact.

Short-notice inspections

"We have to implement the law. The other party must act quickly and lift these unjust and illegal sanctions if they want Tehran to honour the deal," said the Iranian official.

The IAEA's short-notice inspections, which can range anywhere beyond Iran’s declared nuclear sites, are mandated under the IAEA’s “Additional Protocol” that Iran agreed to honour under the deal.

In London, UK junior foreign minister James Cleverly reiterated that Iran had to resume compliance with the deal, adding the West should not send signals that it is prepared to overlook Tehran's breaches of the accord.

Also read: US accepts talks with Iran, backtracks on Trump sanctions claim

Some Iranian hardliners said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's tough stance had forced Washington to cave in. On Wednesday he demanded “action, not words” from the United States if it wants to restore the deal.

"They have reversed some measures ... It is a defeat for America ... but we are waiting to see whether there will be action on lifting sanctions," state media quoted Tabriz city's Friday prayer leader Mohammadali Ale-Hashem as saying.

Biden has said that he will use the revival of the nuclear deal as a springboard to a broader agreement that might restrict Iran’s ballistic missile development and regional activities.

Tehran has ruled out negotiations on wider security issues such as Iran’s missile programme. "I am happy, but not hopeful at all. I don’t trust America. It's never been trustworthy. They may well be tricking us and the world again," Pirouz, an architect, told Reuters from Tehran.