State TV: Iran Rejects Ending 20% Enrichment Before US Lifts Sanctions
Voice of America
DUBAI/WASHINGTON - Iran will not stop its 20% uranium enrichment before the United States lifts all sanctions, Iranian state TV quoted an unnamed official as saying on Tuesday, as Washington considered ways to jump-start nuclear talks.
The Biden administration has been seeking to engage Iran in talks about both sides resuming compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. The agreement removed economic sanctions on Tehran in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear program to make it harder to develop a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran denies. "A senior Iranian official tells Press TV that Tehran will stop its 20-percent uranium enrichment only if the U.S. lifts ALL its sanctions on Iran first," state-run Press TV said on its website. "The official said Tehran will further reduce its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal if the U.S. does not lift all sanctions, warning that Washington is rapidly running out of time," it added.
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