Zarif Says Iran to Meet Nuclear Commitments if Biden Lifts Sanctions

A file picture shows Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a news conference in Tehran on August 5, 2019. AFP
A file picture shows Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a news conference in Tehran on August 5, 2019. AFP
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Zarif Says Iran to Meet Nuclear Commitments if Biden Lifts Sanctions

A file picture shows Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a news conference in Tehran on August 5, 2019. AFP
A file picture shows Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a news conference in Tehran on August 5, 2019. AFP

Iran said Wednesday it would "automatically" return to its nuclear commitments if US President-elect Joe Biden lifts sanctions.

Tehran again meeting its commitments "can be done automatically and needs no conditions or even negotiations," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in comments published in the state-run Iran daily.

Once in the White House, Biden could "lift all of these (sanctions) with three executive orders," Zarif argued.

If Biden's administration does so, Iran's return to nuclear commitments will be "quick", the minister added, AFP reported.

Washington's return to the deal, however, could wait, Zarif added.

"The next stage that will need negotiating is America's return... which is not a priority," he noted, adding that "the first priority is America ending its law-breaking".

Zarif said that although outgoing US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the JCPOA, he did not withdraw the country from the UN and thus must carry out the decisions of the UN Security Council.

"As a UN member and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the US is duty-bound to implement Resolution 2231," Zarif stressed.

For his part, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the Trump administration "unruly", and said a Biden administration could "bring back the atmosphere" that prevailed in 2015 at the time of the nuclear deal.



Sunday's US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled

Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
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Sunday's US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled

Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in location given as Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a handout video released on June 14, 2025. Iranian Red Crescent Society/Handout via REUTERS

The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.

Albusaidi's statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.

A senior official of US President Donald Trump's administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday's talks had been cancelled.

Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped "the Iranians will come to the table soon," the official said.

Earlier Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called further nuclear talks with the United States “meaningless” after the Israeli strikes on the country.

“The US did a job that made the talks become meaningless,” Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel has passed all Iran’s red lines by committing a “criminal act” through its strikes.