US sees no 'near-term prospect' for Iran nuclear deal
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he sees little chance of salvaging the Iran nuclear agreement.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
In light of the conditions set forward by the clerical leadership and the ongoing large protests in the nation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Wednesday that he saw little chance of salvaging the nuclear agreement with Iran.
"Right now I don't see a near-term prospect for that moving forward," Blinken said of the 2015 deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
"Why? Because the Iranians will continue to try to inject extraneous issues into discussions over the JCPOA that are a dead end," Blinken told an event at Bloomberg News.
In addition to promising that the United States will stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, he said, "We continue to believe that diplomacy is actually the best and most effective way."
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His comments come a day after the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, accused the US of "dragging their feet" in trying to revive the deal that Donald Trump had vetoed.
US President Joe Biden took office with hopes of restoring the agreement, however, his aides rejected the Iranian demands, which include that the UN nuclear watchdog closes its probe of alleged nuclear activity.
Additionally, the Biden administration earlier on Wednesday placed fresh sanctions on Iranian officials for allegedly violating human rights in the riots, deliberately practicing double standards when it comes to other states, including itself, violating human rights.
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Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that Iran is ready to continue working on reviving the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as soon as the United States indicates that it is ready to continue as well.
"We are not waiting for winter and can move towards an agreement as soon as the United States expresses its readiness. We do not need time," Kanaani said, as quoted by the Iranian news agency ISNA.
