Iranian official: US accusations that Tehran wants nukes are political

An Iranian official has told Al Jazeera news channel that US accusations that Iran tried to build nuclear weapons are only meant to step up political pressure on the Islamic Republic.

The official whose name Al Jazeera has not revealed added that what the US calls Iran’s conditions in the JCPOA revival talks are in fact Tehran’s undeniable rights.

He said the US must put forth a genuine initiative in order to get out of the current stalemate in talks but it instead criticizes initiatives by the other side, that is, Iran.

He maintained that there is no direct link between US President Joe Biden’s visit to the region and the nuclear talks.

Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley has claimed that the US was ready for a deal proposed by the EU in the Doha talks but the side that did not respond positively was Iran.

Malley also claimed that it’s unclear why the Iranian diplomats went to Doha.

The Iranian official also said that Iran saw no change in the US approach regarding Tehran’s interests in the nuclear deal.

According to the official, some minimal changes in Washington’s position are inadequate and provide no guarantees for their implementation.

He noted that Iran is ready for a robust deal but this is contingent upon a strong government in the US.

The official told Al Jazeera that during the talks in Vienna over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) most technical issues have been resolved and the remaining ones are about sanctions and guarantees.

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