U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press conference on February 4, 2021 in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC.
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WASHINGTON – White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that the United States has begun talking to Iran about Americans being detained.
“We have started communicating with the Iranians on this issue, yes. And we will continue to do so as we move forward,” Sullivan said of the five well-known Americans detained.
“Our strong message to the Iranians is that we will not accept a long-term proposal where they will keep Americans in an unfair and illegal way,” he told CBS in his “Face the Nation” program, adding: ” It will be a major priority of this government to get those Americans home safely. ‘
When asked for an update on the key talks between Washington and Tehran, Sullivan said “the ball is in their court.”
Sullivan said President Joe Biden intended to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and that the best way to do so was through “clear diplomacy”.
“He is prepared to go to the table to talk to the Iranians about how we are getting strict restrictions on their nuclear program. The offer still remains because we believe diplomacy is the best way to do it. Iran has not yet responded , “Sullivan said. .
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated following the withdrawal of former President Donald Trump from the important nuclear deal.
Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, pauses to speak at a news conference in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, October 14, 2019.
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The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, mediated by the Obama administration, lifted sanctions against Iran that paralyzed its economy and cut its oil exports by about half. In exchange for sanctions easing, Iran has accepted limits on its nuclear program until the provisions expire in 2025.
The US and its European allies believe that Iran has ambitions to develop a nuclear bomb. Tehran denied the allegations.
Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA in 2018, calling it the ‘worst deal ever’.
Following Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, other signatories to the treaty – France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China – tried to keep the agreement alive.
Tehran has refused to negotiate while US sanctions remain in place.