President Joe Biden has shown he is open to the United States returning to the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran, and European powers will likely soon begin talks with Washington on the issue, Germany’s foreign minister told Reuters.
The nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was struck by Iran and six major powers in 2015 and committed Iran to restricting its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief from the United States and others.
Former US President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018 and re-imposed US sanctions, leading Iran to begin violating its terms.
“US President Biden has shown himself open to a US return to the nuclear agreement,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview.
Maas expected Germany, France and Britain would “enter into talks very quickly” with the United States on the issue. “What is clear, however, is that Iran must honor its commitments and end the current violations of the agreement,” Maas said.
“If indeed the US succeeds in returning to the agreement, it is linked to sanctions being lifted and no new ones being imposed,” he added.
The Iranian foreign minister tweeted on Thursday that the United States should act first by returning to the deal, after Washington demanded Tehran reverse its breaches of the pact first.
