SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday that the United States violated the 2015 nuclear deal and the European Union failed to fulfil its commitments.
The United States and the EU should fulfil their pledges under the accord, Raisi said in his first news conference since his victory in Friday’s election, according to Reuters.
Negotiations have been ongoing in Vienna since April to work out how Iran and the United States can both return to compliance with the nuclear pact, which Washington abandoned in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, and Iran subsequently violated.
Western officials warned Tehran that talks to revive the deal could not continue indefinitely, after the sides announced a break following the election of Raisi.
Britain, France and Germany, the European “E3”, have effectively been acting as mediators, shuttling between the Iranian delegation and a U.S. team that – Washington having quit the pact – is not a formal participant.
The Western countries say the longer Iran violates the deal and produces banned nuclear material, the harder it becomes to restore the pact.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan echoed those comments telling broadcaster ABC News that there was still “a fair distance to travel”, including on sanctions and on the nuclear commitments that Iran has to make.
During his speech, Raisi said his government’s priority would be improving ties with its neighbors in the Middle East.
“Iran wants interaction with the world … my government’s priority will be improving ties with our neighbors in the region,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
Raisi also called on Saudi Arabia to immediately halt interfering in Yemen.
“Saudi Arabia and its allies should immediately stop their interference in Yemen,” Raisi noted.
On June 16, Gulf Arab states urged Iran to engage seriously with talks and avoid escalations, opposing the nuclear pact for not tackling their concerns.
Gulf Arab foreign ministers urged the powers to secure a deal with stronger restrictions and a longer duration, and to “link it with practical steps to build trust” in order to prevent an arms race and further conflict in the region.
They said Gulf states should be involved in global negotiations with Iran and that they were ready to “cooperate and deal seriously and effectively with the Iranian nuclear file … on the basis of respect for sovereignty and good neighborliness”, Reuters said.
The Gulf Arab foreign ministers stressed “the danger of separating implications of the nuclear deal” from Iran’s missiles programme and support for regional proxies.
Iran has opposed any attempt to add other issues to the deal, under which it agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
