Iran: Foreign Minister says US must guarantee not to abandon nuclear deal

Relations between Iran and the US have come under strain on other aspects, but diplomatic talks have proceeded with both sides indirectly communicating. Following the sanctions relief given to Iran, its foreign minister noted that the US must guarantee that it will not abandon the nuclear deal again.

Al Jazeera reports that Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabollahian weighed in on the recent lifting of sanctions on Tehran by Washington. According to the ISNA News Agency, Abdollahian said that the decision by Washington to provide sanctions relief to Iran was good, but that it was not enough. The lifting of sanctions by the US comes as discussions between Tehran and other world powers in reviving the 2015 nuclear deal are still ongoing.

Abdollahian said that the main issue of Iran towards the US is that it abandoned the nuclear deal in 2018. Abdollahian cited that in the midst of the discussions, Iran wants a guarantee that the US will not withdraw from the nuclear deal again. The US, under Donald Trump, withdrew from the deal at the time and instead imposed strict sanctions.

“The lifting of some sanctions can, in the true sense of the word, translate into their goodwill. Americans talk about it, but it should be known that what happens on paper is good but not enough,” said Abdollahian.

“We seek and demand guarantees in the political, legal, and economic sectors,” Abdollahian added, noting that “agreements have been reached in some areas.”

The US State Department announced the sanctions relief for Iran Friday last week on its civil nuclear program in an effort to return to the 2015 nuclear deal or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

In other related news, the drone attack on the United Arab Emirates by an Iraqi militia group has led to questions on Iraq’s involvement in the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition. Analysts linked the drone strikes to the Kataib Hezbollah militia group backed by Iran based in Iraq that has been deemed a “terrorist organization” by the US.

The drone strikes were condemned by Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, saying that “terrorist outlaws” implicated Iraq in a “dangerous regional war” in targeting a Gulf State.