BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 14. It remains the policy of the United States to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said during a briefing, Trend reports.
"That has not changed and it will not change. We will continue to engage with the IAEA as well as with our partner countries in the region and beyond to ensure that it cannot achieve such a weapon," he noted.
Meanwhile, on February 13, IEAE Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi expressed concern saying that Iran’s nuclear program is not transparent.
On January 16, 2016, Iran's nuclear program triggered the creation of the JCPOA between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany).
However, on May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018.
Over the past period, the sanctions have affected Iranian oil exports and more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals. The sanctions have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets abroad.
In late 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to implement a strategic plan to tackle the sanctions, citing the non-implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of sanctions on Iran.
According to the decision of the Iranian parliament, as of February 23, Iran suspended the implementation of additional steps and an additional protocol provided for in the nuclear deal. As a result, the control mechanism of the IAEA decreased by 20–30 percent.