On Sunday, Iran ruled out an informal meeting with the United States and European powers to discuss ways to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, and insisted that Washington lift all its unilateral sanctions.
Iranian media quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying, "Given the recent measures and statements of the United States and 3 European countries, Iran does not consider this to be the right time to hold an informal meeting with these countries, which was suggested by the European Union's foreign policy coordinator." .
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that it did not see a change in Biden's policy, and that the maximum pressure continues and there is no guarantee that Washington will implement its pledges, adding that Tehran adopts a step-for-step policy, and will respond to any negative positions as appropriate.
She stressed that Washington should lift the sanctions and abide by the terms of the nuclear agreement and Resolution 2231.
Guarantees
For its part, the Wall Street Journal quoted two Western diplomats as saying that Iran wanted guarantees that Washington would lift some sanctions after the meeting, noting that Iran's refusal did not dampen hopes for direct negotiations in the coming months.
In the same context, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, said that his country would respond appropriately to any decision issued against it at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency scheduled for early March.
And it was news reports that the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency would adopt a decision against Iran after stopping the work of the additional supplement.