Iran Says No to Alleged US Offer to Return to Nuclear Deal

Iran on Tuesday rejected a reported United States proposal, still in the works, regarding a mutual return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal which facilitated a removal of international sanctions on Tehran in return for a halt in its nuclear advancement. Iran “will stop its 20% uranium enrichment only if the US lifts all its sanctions on Iran first,” Iran’s state-run Press TV quoted an unnamed senior official as saying Tuesday. “Washington is rapidly running out of time,” the official warned. Earlier reports claimed the White House was prepared to offer a deal to the Islamic Republic by which some sanctions, reimposed by former President Donald Trump after he withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018, would be lifted if Iran agrees to stop enriching uranium to 20% purity. US President Joe Biden has insisted Tehran be first to return to compliance with the 2015 deal before full sanctions relief is awarded, while Iran refuses to halt its centrifuges before Washington removes all economic punishments.