3 weeks ago 13

Nuclear Deal in Its Current Form Cannot be Renewed - Iranian FM

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the nuclear deal could not be renewed in its current form and that Tehran could not return to compliance after making significant progress in its nuclear research.

"The JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] in its current form and wording, in my opinion, cannot be renewed. This will not bring any benefit to us because of our significant progress in the nuclear sphere," Araghchi told the Khabar-e Online news agency.

Iran signed a nuclear deal with China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the European Union in 2015, which committed it to scaling back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The US withdrew from the deal in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, leading to the collapse of the deal. In response, Iran said it would reduce its commitments to the nuclear pact, abandoning restrictions on nuclear research and the level of uranium enrichment.