Iranian President Urges US to End Sanctions and Return to Nuclear Deal
In his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for an end to US sanctions on Iran and urged the United States to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Raisi emphasized that these sanctions have not achieved their desired results and urged the US to choose the right path.
Raisi asserted that Iran will never give up its right to have peaceful nuclear energy and called on the United States to demonstrate, in a verifiable manner, its willingness to return to the nuclear deal. He criticized the American withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, stating that it violated US commitments and was an inappropriate response to Iran’s fulfillment of its obligations.
🇮🇷 | In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Dr. Raisi said: “Protection of family privacy and marriage is a global reality that should become a common global agenda.” pic.twitter.com/BsrrPVscDX
— Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (@Iran_GOV) September 19, 2023
The nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was negotiated in 2015 to restrict Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. However, former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and reimposed severe sanctions on Iran, causing the agreement to unravel.
Raisi emphasized that Iran has always maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and that nuclear weapons have no place in the country’s defensive and military doctrines. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed concerns about the transparency of Iran’s nuclear activities, especially after the removal of many monitoring systems and devices.
The director-general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, revealed that Iran has removed cameras and electronic monitoring systems installed by the agency, making it impossible to provide assurances about the country’s nuclear program. Grossi has previously warned that Iran possesses enough enriched uranium to potentially build several nuclear bombs.
Raisi did not address the issue of IAEA inspectors, but the European Union released a statement urging Iran to reconsider its decision to ban several experienced nuclear inspectors and improve its cooperation with the IAEA.
The Iranian president’s speech at the UN General Assembly coincided with a prisoner swap between Iran and the United States, in which five prisoners from each side were released. The US also unlocked nearly $6 billion of Iranian frozen assets in South Korea for humanitarian purposes.
While Raisi did not mention the prisoner swap in his speech, Israel’s UN Ambassador, Gilad Erdan, walked out of the assembly hall, holding a sign with a picture of a Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody last year, sparking protests globally against Iran’s conservative Islamic regime.
Raisi accused the United States of aggravating the conflict in Ukraine and expressed support for a peaceful resolution to the war, highlighting Iran’s willingness to back any initiative for a cessation of hostilities.
Overall, Raisi’s speech at the UN General Assembly focused on urging the United States to lift sanctions on Iran, return to the nuclear deal, and address the concerns raised by the IAEA regarding the transparency of Iran’s nuclear program. The international community will be closely monitoring the developments in these negotiations and their impact on global security and stability.
