Iranian foreign minister urges US to stop excessive demands

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a press conference with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy at the foreign ministry headquarters in Iran's capital Tehran, June 25, 2022. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday night called on the White House to stop its excessive demands and instead take steps realistically toward reaching an agreement in the talks on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone conversation with the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also urged the United States to refrain from repeating its former "ineffective approach" and "unproductive behavior" of resorting to pressure and sanctions as leverage

Amir-Abdollahian also urged the United States to refrain from repeating its former "ineffective approach" and "unproductive behavior" of resorting to pressure and sanctions as leverage.

There exists no doubt about Iran's determination to reach a "good, robust and lasting agreement" in the nuclear talks, he said.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with several major countries including the United States in July 2015, and agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country.

However, former US president Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

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The talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington.

After a three-month pause, the talks resumed recently in the Qatari capital Doha, but failed to reach any agreement to settle the remaining differences.