Iran Says No to US Placating Efforts  

Iran on Saturday again rejected global overtures to roll back some of its latest nuclear activities, striking an unyielding stance ahead of Tuesday’s Vienna summit with world powers. Tehran’s Foreign Ministry released a statement saying it has refused proposals to halt its uranium enrichment in return for limited sanctions relief by the United States, adding that “no step-by-step plan is being considered” and that “the definitive policy of the Islamic Republic … is the lifting of all US sanctions.” On Tuesday, American and Iranian officials will land in Vienna to launch indirect talks, mediated by other states party to the largely abandoned 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. After former President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact and re-imposed sanctions in 2018, Iran began violating the agreement’s restrictions on its nuclear program. While the Biden administration has recently signaled its willingness to lift some sanctions in return for limited Iranian compliance with the deal, Tehran has insisted all Trump-era sanctions must be vacated before compliance is considered.