US: No sanctions easing until Iran halts uranium enrichment

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - US President Joe Biden on Sunday ruled out prospects of lifting sanctions on Iran until the country stops enriching uranium.

In his first network news interview since taking office last month, Biden said his administration would not ease sanctions to get Tehran back to the negotiating table after his predecessor Donald Trump pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear accord with the country and reintroduced sanctions related to the country's nuclear program.

Biden's comments on CBS Evening News indicate that the current standoff would continue with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who demanded Washington lift sanctions before his country returns to its obligations under the deal that saw it curtail uranium enrichment.

The Trump administration reinstated the economic sanctions against Iran while pulling the US out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, which the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany struck with Iran.

The deal saw Tehran accept unprecedented curbs and inspections on its nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.