Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Iran's Rouhani rules out talks with U.S. until sanctions lifted

Iran will not talk to the United States until all sanctions imposed on Tehran are lifted, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, a day after President Donald Trump said he would meet his Iranian counterpart to try to end a nuclear standoff.

Trump said on Monday he would meet Iran's president under the right circumstances to end a confrontation that began when Washington pulled out of Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions on the country.

"But first the U.S. should act by lifting all illegal, unjust and unfair sanctions imposed on Iran," he said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. Speaking at a G7 summit in the French resort of Biarritz, Trump ruled out lifting economic sanctions to compensate for losses suffered by Iran.

European parties to the deal have struggled to calm the deepening confrontation between Iran and the United States since Trump pulled Washington out last year.

Since ditching the deal last year, Trump has pursued a policy of "Maximum pressure" to try to force Iran into broader talks to restrict its ballistic missile program and end its support for proxy forces around the Middle East.

The 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers, reached under former U.S. President Barack Obama, aimed to curb Iran's disputed uranium enrichment program in exchange for the lifting of many international sanctions on Tehran.

Iran has ruled out talks with Washington over its military capabilities, particularly its ballistic missile program that it says is defensive.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-usa/irans-rouhani-rules-out-talks-with-u-s-until-sanctions-lifted-idUSKCN1VH0FJ

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