Iran Parliament Criticizes Blinken Plan on Nuclear Deal

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday described US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent remarks on Tehran as “disappointing.”

“If the US believes in the nuclear deal, it should display its commitment to it in practice instead of setting preconditions,” the Speaker said, addressing an open session of the parliament in Tehran.

Last week, Blinken said that President Joe Biden has been very clear in saying that if Iran comes back to compliance with obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, the United States would do the same thing.

However, Qalibaf said Tehran is waiting for the Biden government’s practical measures to lift sanctions rather than speaking of preconditions.

Iran and the new US administration have issuing statements on conditions demanding the other party to take the first step in returning to the nuclear deal, which Washington unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.

During a visit to the Fordow nuclear plant on January 28, Qalibaf said the country has produced 17 kilograms of 20 percent-enriched uranium within a month.

Referring to his visit to the site, the speaker said Sunday he was happy that the centrifuges are rotating once again.

“With the centrifuges now rotating with 20% uranium enrichment, the country’s foreign diplomacy has a full hand in any future negotiations,” he said.

In December, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the country is in no hurry to see the United States return to the nuclear deal.

Last week, Blinken criticized Iran of being out of compliance on a number of fronts.

“And it would take some time, should it make the decision to do so, for it to come back into compliance and time for us then to assess whether it was meeting its obligations,” the US Secretary of State told a news conference.