Iranian Foreign Ministry Says Washington Lacks Political Will to Revive Nuclear Deal

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani holds a press conference. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani holds a press conference. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry
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Iranian Foreign Ministry Says Washington Lacks Political Will to Revive Nuclear Deal

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani holds a press conference. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani holds a press conference. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the United States lacked the political will for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal.

"We do not do talks for the sake of talks. Iran is ready for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, but it seems Washington does not have the political will," ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in televised news conference.

Kanaani's remarks come amid on-off talks that have been underway since April 2021 to revive the deal that gave Iran much-needed sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program, AFP said.

The landmark Vienna deal has been in tatters since then US president Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 and Iran later backed away from its own commitments.

In a rare concession, Iran allowed a detained Iranian-American to leave the country and released his son from detention.

Tehran later said that, following the prisoner's release, it was awaiting the unfreezing of about $7 billion in funds held abroad, but Washington denied the two issues were linked.

The European Union had submitted in August a final draft of the text for the agreement, but there remain key sticking points between Tehran and Washington as well as the UN nuclear watchdog.



Erdogan, Trump Discuss Ukraine, Syria, Defense Issues, Türkiye Says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (unseen) in Ankara, Türkiye, 12 March 2025. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (unseen) in Ankara, Türkiye, 12 March 2025. (EPA)
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Erdogan, Trump Discuss Ukraine, Syria, Defense Issues, Türkiye Says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (unseen) in Ankara, Türkiye, 12 March 2025. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a joint press conference after a meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (unseen) in Ankara, Türkiye, 12 March 2025. (EPA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump and discussed efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and to restore stability in Syria, Erdogan's office said on Sunday.

He told Trump that Türkiye supports his "decisive and direct initiatives" to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and that Türkiye will continue to strive for a "just and lasting peace", the statement said.

Erdogan also spoke of "the importance of jointly contributing to the lifting of sanctions on Syria to restore stability, make the new administration functional and support normalization," the statement said, adding that this would enable Syrians to return to their homeland.

Türkiye also expects steps from the United States regarding the fight against terrorism, taking into account Türkiye’s interests, it said.

In the battle against ISIS in Syria, the United States is allied with a Syrian Kurdish militia that Türkiye regards as a terrorist group. Türkiye has sharply criticized this US stance as a betrayal of a NATO ally.

Erdogan said it was necessary to end CAATSA sanctions, finalize Ankara's F-16 procurement process and its re-participation in the F-35 program in order to develop defense industry cooperation between Türkiye and the United States.

Ankara's past purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems prompted US sanctions and Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019.