Iran demands US show goodwill after quitting nuclear deal

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday that the United States should prove its “goodwill and determination” to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Washington abandoned in 2018.

“By exiting the JCPOA, the United States violated the agreement. … America should demonstrate its goodwill and determination,” Raisi said in a speech at the UN General Assembly, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Tehran and six world powers.

After taking office in January 2021, US President Joe Biden tried to negotiate a revival of the 2015 nuclear deal under which Iran had restricted its nuclear program in return for relief from US, European Union (EU) and UN sanctions.

Former US President Donald Trump reneged on that deal in 2018, arguing it was too generous to Tehran, and restored broad US economic sanctions against Iran.

Efforts to revive it appeared to die about a year ago, when diplomats say Iran rejected what EU mediators called their final offer.

Diplomats now view the 2015 deal as beyond resurrection because of Iran’s advances, notably in running advanced centrifuges that have a much bigger output of enriched uranium.