Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has said that Tehran would "immediately" reverse the remedial measures it took following Trump's withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as soon as Washington takes "corrective measures."
Zarif tweeted on Sunday that "a path forward" in this sense would look like "Commit, act, meet", meaning that the United States, as "the offending side", should commit to the JCPOA and "effectively fulfill" its obligations under the deal.
In an exclusive interview with Press TV earlier on Sunday, the Iranian FM pointed out that while Biden criticized the Trump administration's approach of "maximum pressure" against Tehran, the new administration seems to be pursuing the very same policies towards the Islamic Republic.
"Nothing has changed. Biden claims that Trump's policy of maximum pressure was maximum failure... But for all practical purposes, they are pursuing the same policy," Zarif said, adding that the problem is that the US is "addicted" to sanctions, pressure and bullying.
Biden has repeatedly vowed to return the United States to the 2015 nuclear deal, abandoned by Trump in 2018, but has not taken any steps so far. Earlier in February, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani also said that the Biden administration's policy on Iran was no different from that of Trump's, as no changes in the US' approach have been seen so far.
According to Zarif, as soon as all parties to the JCPOA fulfill their commitments under the deal, negotiations on a nuclear deal with the participation of the United States will also take place. At the same time, the talks will not relate to changes in the agreement or any new provisions of the deal, such as regional issues and the Iranian missile program, Zarif noted.
Zarif has repeatedly stated that it was for the United States to return to the agreement since they abandoned it in the first place, and has also accused the E3 - of failing to meet their duties under the deal.
Have our E3 partners ever read para 36 of JCPOA & Iran's many letters on that basis?
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 12, 2021
By what logic is the onus on IRAN to stop its remedial measures undertaken a full year after the US withdrew from—and continues to violate—the JCPOA?
What have E3 done to fulfill their duties?
Though Biden has expressed readiness to rejoin the deal, he has also called for negotiating a broader agreement with Iran that would cover outstanding issues, like Iran's missile program or its belligerent clientele across the Middle East. Tehran, in turn, has rejected the possibility of expanding the nuclear deal.
In January, Iran began working on the production of uranium metal, and earlier this week, it reaffirmed its intentions to limit the implementation of the Additional Protocol on the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspections of its nuclear sites starting Sunday. The ministry stressed that this would only concern additional inspections.
