Iran firms up stance on removal of US sanctions

TEHERAN/JERUSALEM－Iran said on Monday the removal of US sanctions is Teheran's bottom line, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman told a news conference, adding that talks with world powers in Vienna to revive a 2015 nuclear deal were expected to resume on Tuesday.

On Friday, the United States restored sanctions waivers allowing international nuclear cooperation with Iran on some projects.

"The issue of removal of sanctions and Iran benefiting from it is Iran's red line in the talks," spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

"Washington has decided to take a step which has no impact on Iran's economic situation … a responsible (US) government should return to the deal and fulfill its obligations."

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian described the US' move on Sunday as "good but insufficient".

Teheran and Washington have held eight rounds of indirect talks in Vienna since April aimed at reinstating the deal, under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for removal of international sanctions that have squeezed its oil exports.

The talks were paused on Jan 28 as top negotiators returned to their respective countries for consultations. Robert Malley, the US' special envoy for Iran, said on Sunday that he would soon return to Vienna, insisting the pact could still be revived.

Khatibzadeh said Iran's lead nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani would return to Vienna when the talks resume on Tuesday.

An Iranian top security official underlined cautious optimism on Sunday about the progress in the Vienna talks, calling for a "balance "in the parties' commitments.

'Limited progress'

"Despite the limited progress in the Vienna talks, we are still far from achieving the necessary balance in the commitments of the parties," wrote Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in a tweet.

"Political decisions in Washington are requirements for balance of commitments to reach a good agreement."

Also on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and US President Joe Biden held a phone conversation over Iran and other international issues, said the prime minister's office in a statement.

The two leaders discussed "regional challenges", and in particular the "growing Iranian aggression, and the steps to block the Iranian nuclear program", it said.

Bennett also invited Biden and his wife to visit Israel. According to the statement, the two leaders agreed to be "in regular contact".

Agencies - Xinhua