Washington, February 7: United States President Joe Biden on Sunday said that the sanctions against Iran would not be lifted unless Tehran stops enriching uranium. Biden's statement came hours after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded that the US should lift curbs before the country could rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal.

Responding to CBS Evening News Managing Editor Norah O'Donnell's question about lifting sanction on Iran, Biden said that the country should first stop enriching uranium. Earlier in January this year, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken had also said that the UD would join the Iranian nuclear deal and start negotiations with it only if Tehran joins and complies with its provisions. ‘US Will Join Nuclear Deal if Iran Complies With Provisions’, Says Secretary of State Tony Blinken.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Tehran is losing patience with the Biden administration's "recent signals to retain illegal sanctions" on the Islamic Republic. In a statement on Saturday, Zarif criticised Washington. UK PM Boris Johnson Says 'Trump Deal' Could Replace Iran Nuclear Pact.

Zarif added that If the new US administration under President Joe Biden does not distance itself from the policies of its predecessor, it would be "dangerous" for America. Notably, on January 4, the Islamic Republic launched 20 per cent uranium enrichment process as part of the country's Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions which was approved by the parliament in December 2020.

The deal was signed in 2015 between the Islamic Republic of Iran and a group of world powers - the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China, Germany and the European Union. The world powers limited Iran's uranium enrichment activity in return for the easing of the US sanctions. However, the deal was abandoned in 2018 by the then US President Donald Trump.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2021 10:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).