President Biden has said the US will not lift sanctions against Iran unless the country stops enriching uranium and continues with the country’s supreme leader, who has demanded that the sanctions be lifted before the country returns to its obligations under the 2015 Nuclear Power Agreement.
The anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News, Norah O’Donnell, spoke with Mr. Biden talks in his first network news interview since his inauguration. It will be at 16:00 before the Super Bowl on Sunday.
“Will the US first lift sanctions to get Iran back at the negotiating table?” Ask O’Donnell.
“No,” replied Mr. Biden.
“Should they stop enriching uranium first?” Ask O’Donnell.
Mr. Biden nodded in confirmation.
Under Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, the US and other world powers have agreed to lift crippling economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits on the country’s nuclear program. Former President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement in 2018 and reintroduced the sanctions. Mr. Biden said he plans to rejoin the deal.
In early January, Iran announced that it would resume advanced uranium enrichment, in violation of the terms of the 2015 agreement. The group also told the United Nations last month that Iran had begun using equipment to produce uranium metal, which the group said could be used to make the core of a nuclear warhead.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that the US should lift sanctions before Iran fulfills its obligations under the nuclear agreements. In November, Iran’s foreign minister said the country would “automatically” return to its commitments as Mr. Biden the sanctions imposed by Mr. Trump is set, uplift.
By syne confirmation hearing last month, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said that if Iran took the first step and complied with the terms of the agreement as currently written, “so would we.”
“But we would use it as a platform to reach a longer and stronger agreement, but also to capture these other issues, especially with missiles and other destabilizing activities,” Blinken told senators, adding: “we are far from there. ‘
O’Donnell also called Mr. Biden asked about another important foreign relationship: the US and China.
“The relationship between America and China is probably one of the most important in the world,” O’Donnell said. “Why did you not call Xi Jinping?”
“Well, we have not yet had the opportunity to speak to him,” he replied. Biden. “There’s no reason not to call him. I probably spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader has, because I had 24, 25 hours of private meetings with him when I was vice president. 17,000 miles traveled “I know him pretty well.”
“There’s a lot to talk about?” Ask O’Donnell.
“Lots to talk about. Lots to talk about,” Mr Biden said. “And he’s very bright. He’s very tough. He has not – and I do not mean that as criticism, just the reality – he does not have a democratic, small D-leg in his body. But he is – the question is, I kept telling him we should do it does not have a conflict. But there is going to be extreme competition. And I’m not going to do it like he knows. And that’s because he’s sending signals too. I’m not going to do it like Trump did. We are going to focus on international road rules. ‘
The full interview will be broadcast on Sunday during the 16-hour ET before the Super Bowl, only on CBS.
Watch Part 1 of Norah O’Donnell’s interview with President Biden: Biden says Trump does not need to receive an intellectual briefing
Watch Part 2 of Norah O’Donnell’s interview with President Biden: According to Biden, son Hunter’s book ‘gave me hope“