Iran Demands Removal of All US Sanctions Without Distinction

Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamad Javad Zarif on Friday demanded the removal of all US sanctions against his country whether or not they are linked to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

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This request came as Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany are meeting in Vienna to discuss ways to get the United States and Iran back into compliance with the terms agreed to in that nuclear deal.

The United States withdrew from that nuclear deal in 2018. However, then-President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran arguing that the Persian nation had acted contrary to JCPOA commitments. In subsequent years, appealing to various arguments, he applied other sanctions against Iranian companies, institutions, and leaders as well.

Despite having caused the JCPOA to break down, the U.S. is not directly involved in the current negotiations aimed at reviving that agreement.

"The US, which caused this crisis, must first return to full compliance," the Persian minister said and added that his country would welcome the JCPOA back after verifying US actions.

Iran began to gradually default on its nuclear obligations in 2019 in response to arbitrary sanctions set by the U.S., which required the Iranians to suspend production of enriched uranium, a raw material that could have military uses.

In this regard, Iran's chief negotiator Abbas Araghchi assured that the production of uranium at 20 percent purity will continue until Washington removes "all its sanctions in one step".