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Iran Nuke Deal: Compensation Was Never Pre-Condition for Agreement's Revival, Zarif Says

This comes after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reiterated earlier on Sunday that the US must lift its sanctions against Iran if it wants Tehran to return to its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal.
Sputnik

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Sunday that compensation was never a pre-condition for the revival of JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), aka Iranian nuclear deal.

He added that Tehran will cease abiding by the deal’s additional protocol on 21 February, noting that this step will be reversible.

Earlier in the day, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that his country will return to compliance with the terms of the JCPOA only if the US lifts its crushing sanctions first.

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On Saturday, Zarif said that Washington "has little time" to restore the JCPOA to full working order. He added that recent legislation in Iran's parliament will soon force the government to toughen its stance on the nuclear accord if the US fails to act. 

In 2018, the US under the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and also ordered the reimposition of sanctions against Iran. Tehran responded by saying that it would gradually resume enriching uranium beyond the previously agreed level. In late 2020, Iran passed a law to increase its uranium enrichment to 20 percent and stop UN inspections of its nuclear sites. Last month, Tehran began working on the production of uranium metal.

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