Biden team takes a major step in offering to start talks with Iran as Tehran’s sanctions deadline approachesDUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran and the U.S. are in a standoff.
President Joe Biden’s administration wants to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, but is demanding to see changes from Tehran before it will lift the heavy sanctions imposed on the country by the Trump team.
Meanwhile, Iran says it wants Washington to step up its game and make the first move, refusing to budge until those sanctions are lifted.
But the Biden administration on Thursday took a major step, joining with European partners in offering to begin talks with the Iranians for the first time in four years.
“The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting ... to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear program,†State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
The Biden team also rescinded the former Trump administration’s efforts to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told European ministers in a call Thursday that it would work with them to restore the 2015 accord, which he described as “a key achievement of multilateral diplomacy,†according to a New York Times report.
It remains unclear whether Iran will agree to the talks.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/19/jcpoa-bidens-return-to-the-iran-nuclear-deal-is-getting-harder.html
