Iran continues to lash out at the Joe Biden administration for maintaining sanctions imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump following Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal, with hopes to change Tehran’s behavior.
“It seems that Mr. Biden still continues to pursue the maximum pressure policy through sanctions and regional mistakes despite officially acknowledging the failure of Mr. Trump's policy of maximum pressure,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told the Persian-language Mardomsalari newspaper on Monday.
He said the problem of foreign opponents of the 2015 nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – is seeking to make Iran a security issue.
“I feel that Mr. Biden's administration has not yet reached a conclusion on foreign policy,” he noted, saying that he is also pressured by different groups, including the extremists in the US, Israel, and certain regional countries.
Zarif also defended the Nuclear Deal by criticizing those opposing the agreement at the local level.
He said the opponents of the JCPOA in Iran who were thinking that the JCPOA favored the United States had predicted that Donald Trump will not abandon the agreement.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said his country has had neither direct nor indirect contact over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal or any other issues with the US.
“We had close talks with the remaining parties in the deal. Of course, we did not have a dialogue about JCPOA with the Americans,” he explained.
Khatibzadeh added that Iran may join a United Nations-facilitated conference on Afghanistan, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed talks with representatives of Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the US.
The spokesperson’s statements came following talks between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney amid diplomatic efforts to revive the landmark nuclear deal.
Rouhani urged Europe to avoid "threats or pressure" in any negotiations with Tehran.
"The best way to solve problems with European partners at various bilateral, regional, and international levels, is negotiations based on mutual respect and avoiding any threats or pressure," the President said.
Following Joe Biden’s US presidential election victory in November, the US, the European parties to the deal -- France, Germany, and Britain -- and Tehran have been trying to salvage the accord.
Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce Hamid Hosseini revealed the release of $3 billion frozen Iranian assets in Iraq, South Korea, and Amman.
Last week, Hosseini confirmed that Washington had agreed to release Iranian resources at the Trade Bank of Iraq.
