Tehran does not intend to make concessions in the negotiations to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told a press conference Monday.
"US officials know that Iran does not intend to make concessions and participate in negotiations [on restoring the JCPOA] under pressure and threats," the spokesman said.
He said the US and Western countries need the revival of the nuclear deal just as much as Iran, so the Islamic republic is ready to negotiate with the JCPOA participants only from a position of strength.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program was signed with Iran in 2015 in order to overcome the crisis over its nuclear developments by the permanent "five" of the UN Security Council and Germany. Previous US President Donald Trump decided in 2018 to withdraw from the arrangement. Current US President Joe Biden has repeatedly signaled a willingness to bring Washington back into the nuclear deal with Tehran. Russia, Britain, Germany, China, the US and France have been negotiating with Iran in Vienna since April 2021 to restore the JCPOA to its original form.
In late October, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council John Kirby, said that restoring the nuclear deal was no longer on the agenda because Tehran had put forward conditions beyond the JCPOA. Subsequently, US Special Representative for Iran Robert Malley made a similar statement. At the same time, he admitted that Washington might use military force, "if necessary, to prevent Iran from having a nuclear warhead."
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Based on materials from TASS