Iran Demands “Guaranteed” Sanctions Relief in Future Nuclear Deal

Iran has stated that any sanctions relief agreed upon with the United States as part of a potential future nuclear deal must be “guaranteed” to last, a key condition as negotiations continue, Bloomberg reports.

Speaking at a televised press conference on Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei emphasized the “extreme importance” of this guarantee. Iran expects the US to provide assurances that sanctions lifted under any agreement cannot be easily reimposed by future administrations, a lesson learned from the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the original 2015 nuclear deal.

These demands come after Iran and the US held their first indirect talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in over two years on Saturday. A second round of negotiations is expected to take place on April 19th, with the ultimate goal of reaching a new nuclear accord and ending the long-standing standoff over Iran’s atomic activities.

The original 2015 nuclear deal, aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, was abandoned by then-US President Donald Trump, who reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy.

“No final decision has been made yet regarding the location of the second round of talks,” Baghaei stated, adding that Oman will continue to serve as a mediator between Iran and the US.

Baghaei also confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to travel to Moscow later this week to continue parallel discussions with Russian officials regarding the nuclear deal.