Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran, does not think that meeting Biden in person on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly in New York would be advantageous to his nation or could in any way assist resurrect the historic 2015 nuclear agreement.
“I don’t think a meeting like that would take place… In an interview during Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes with CBS reporter Lesley Stahl, Chairman said, “I don’t think having a meeting or a talk with him would be useful. Trump and Raisi are both scheduled to speak at the UNGA the following week, but a meeting between the two presidents was never formally scheduled.
When asked if there were any differences between the Biden administration and that of his predecessor, Donald Trump, Raisi said there weren’t any from Tehran’s point of view, especially in regards to the nuclear agreement technically known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The Iranian president said, “The new US government argues that it is separate from President Trump’s administration… But reality hasn’t changed at all.”
Iran agreed to some limitations on its nuclear industry as part of the original nuclear deal struck in 2015 by the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the EU. This was done in exchange for the relaxation of economic sanctions and other benefits.
However, in 2018, the US under then-President Donald Trump destroyed the agreement by unilaterally withdrawing from it, claiming it was fundamentally defective, and reimposing sanctions on Tehran. As a result, Iran began progressively waiving portions of its adherence to the agreement.
Biden made little progress on the matter despite making commitments throughout the campaign to revive the agreement.
A new deal’s draught, which was leaked last month amid efforts to resurrect the accord, included a four-stage procedure beginning with the immediate easing of sanctions on several Iranian banks and other economic organisations. Additionally, Iran would start promptly reducing its nuclear programmes.
A near-term compromise on the subject is “unlikely,” according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who earlier this week said that Iran had “taken a step backward” in negotiations. The senior US official was referring to the agreement’s “final” wording, which the EU had put forward on August 8. Since then, the US and Iran have frequently exchanged replies on the subject.
