TEHRAN, March 04 (MNA) – US Secretary of State claimed that the US will lift a number of sanctions against Tehran if Iran comes back into compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement.US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken outlined some of Biden administration's foreign policy approaches in an interview with the PBS Referring to Iran’s reduction of its JCPOA commitments, he claimed that Iran is close to producing Nuclear weapons.

“So, we have real interests in trying to put Iran back into that box.

And diplomacy is the way to do it.

We have made clear that the path of diplomacy is open.

The European Union, which is one of the parties to the original agreement, invited all of the other parties, our European partners, Russia, China and Iran and us, to come to start to talk about the possible return to the nuclear agreement.

We said yes.

Iran said no.

We will see what they do going forward.

We have been clear that the path of diplomacy is open.

The ball is in Iran's court to decide if it agrees,” he claimed.

Answering a question regarding Washington’s decision to lift sanctions against Iran, he noted, “We have been very clear that Iran has to come back into compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement.

And if it does, we will do the same thing.

And that would revolve — that would involve if they do it, some sanctions relief.

But, again, we're a long ways from that,” he noted.

“Unfortunately, Iran is moving in the wrong direction.

It continues to take steps that lift the various constraints of the agreement and is making its program more dangerous, not less dangerous.

So, first and foremost, we want to see Iran come back into compliance with its obligations,” he further claimed.

Former US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 deal, more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which was signed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the US, the UK, China, Russia, and France — plus Germany and the EU and reimposed sweeping economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Amid the Europeans’ lack of action, Iran took five steps to reduce its commitments to the deal while vowing that it will reverse the course as soon as the other parties live up to their commitments under the accord.

FA/PR