Zarif to Biden: Return to nuclear deal without demanding concessions

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Friday urged US President Joe Biden to “choose a better path” by returning to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Reuters reports.

Zarif, writing in Foreign Affairs magazine, also warned that the opportunity would be lost if Washington insists on further Iranian concessions up front.

Biden “can begin by removing all sanctions imposed since Trump assumed office and seek to re-enter and abide by the 2015 nuclear deal without altering its painstakingly negotiated terms,” wrote the top Iranian diplomat.

“In turn, Iran would reverse all the remedial measures it has taken in the wake of Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal,” he added, stressing that the “initiative squarely rests with Washington”

Zarif also stressed that temporary limitations on Iran’s defense and missile procurements under the 2015 deal cannot be re-negotiated.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement nearly three years ago, and proceeded to reimpose crippling sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Iran, in turn, has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal.

Biden has expressed a desire to return to the 2015 agreement, which was negotiated while he served as Vice President during the Obama administration. He recently told The New York Times that he would return to the 2015 agreement if Iran returned to compliance with it.

On Tuesday, Biden’s Secretary of State-designate Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a confirmation hearing he would consult with US allies regarding the possibility of re-entering a nuclear deal with Iran.

Blinken also stressed that the US is “a long way” from returning to the deal.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that Iran must resume compliance with the restrictions under the 2015 deal for the US to come to the table.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)