US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken ruled out easing sanctions on Iran and demanded it fully adhere to the nuclear agreement before his country does the same, after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Washington to abide by the agreement.
In an interview with the US channel (PBS), Blinken said that Washington had been very clear of the need for Tehran to return to full compliance with the nuclear agreement, and if it did, the United States would do the same, and that would include easing some sanctions.
Blinken considered that Iran is moving in the wrong direction by continuing to disavow the restrictions imposed by the nuclear deal.
The US Secretary of State added that the path to diplomacy is still open, and called on Iran to participate in negotiations on returning to the nuclear agreement within the framework of the 5 + 1 group.
On Wednesday, Rouhani said, "If there is a serious will to lift the sanctions, Iran will backtrack on steps to reduce its nuclear commitments ... and if all parties abide by their commitments in the nuclear deal, we will do so."
The Iranian president added that his country witnessed a slight change in the statements of the US administration, but it did not witness a practical change in its policy.
Iran had previously ruled out holding an informal meeting with the United States and European powers to discuss ways to revive the nuclear deal, and insisted that Washington lift all its unilateral sanctions, while the White House said it was "disappointed" with the Iranian position.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said recently that Germany, France, Britain and the United States will work to pass a resolution during the IAEA Board of Elders meeting, on Friday, condemning Tehran and calling on it to back down from reducing its obligations to the agency.