Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the United States does not have much time left to lift sanctions over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
The minister explained that the lack of time for making a decision is explained both by the resolution of the parliament and by the pre-election atmosphere that will develop in the republic after the Iranian New Year, which is celebrated on March 21. At the same time, the presidential elections are scheduled for June.
Zarif also noted that Iran is ready to talk with the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is also the coordinator on this issue. The Iranian minister told the Hamshahri newspaper.
He stressed that the “ticket” to sit down at the negotiating table is primarily needed by the United States.
In May 2018, the United States withdrew from the agreement and reinstated tough sanctions against the Islamic Republic. In turn, Iran announced a gradual reduction of its obligations, while the European participants considered it necessary to preserve the agreement.
On January 5, this year, in the context of strained relations with Washington, Tehran announced the rejection of the “last key restriction in the nuclear deal,” concerning the number of centrifuges for enriching uranium.
It has been reported that Iran has achieved 20% uranium enrichment at the Fordow facility, which is enough to carry out some nuclear weapons w
