Iran’s Supreme Leader: All Sanctions Must Be Lifted Before Nuclear Deal

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday insisted that he would require concrete measures from world powers, namely the sweeping removal of sanctions, before returning to the 2015 nuclear agreement. “I have told our negotiators that actions, not promises, are needed for the restoration of the nuclear deal,” Khamenei said in a televised speech. Tehran and the United States will begin their sixth round of indirect talks in Vienna next week, as European diplomats mediating between the two sides recently expressed optimism an agreement would be reached soon. Washington has demanded that Iran roll back its various violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, including accelerated uranium enrichment, while Tehran has called for the US to first remove all sanctions placed by former President Donald Trump before it returns to compliance with the deal.