BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 5. First and foremost, the US should contemplate how it will remove the obstacles it has created for Iran, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters, commenting on US President Donald Trump's statement about the readiness to meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trend reports.
According to him, there is no discussion and dialogue between Iran and the US so far.
“The important thing is Iran is waiting to see how the process will continue and what paths will be available for progress,” he noted.
Zarif stated that the US president's statement that “Iran must prove that it is not striving to build nuclear weapons” does not make any sense. This is because Iran has not pursued nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order restoring maximum pressure on Iran. The US President stated that it is hoped that the maximum pressure will not be applied too often. He also remarked that he is ready for a negotiation with Iran's president.
Meanwhile, in January 2016, Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) implemented the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20-30 percent.
Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.