US, West reluctant to lift all sanctions at once

"The truth is that Western countries are procrastinating lifting all anti-Iranian sanctions at once", Seyed Mohammad Marandi told the Iraqi Al Sabaah Newspaper.

In this round of negotiations, Iran is acting on the basis of distrust of the other side, because the current US Government of Joe Biden is following the same path of the former government which refused to abide by its obligations under the 2015 agreement, Marandi added.

Stating that it is Iran's right to enjoy peaceful nuclear energy and the Iranians would not shy away from maintaining this right, Marandi said that the West is reluctant to lift all sanctions, and the United States still insists that some parts of the sanctions to stay in place.

Regarding the prolongation of the negotiation time, he said that the main reason for the prolongation of the negotiation time is related to the positions of the American side and the Western countries, adding that they have not complied with their obligations under the 2015 agreement and are still seeking to continue the sanctions.

The other side is not willing to give sufficient guarantees to the Iranian side to guarantee the implementation of a possible agreement in Vienna, Marandi added.

Mentioning that Iran has never sought a nuclear weapon, Marandi noted that If Iran had sought to acquire a nuclear weapon, it could have achieved it years ago, However, the Westerners claim that Tehran is seeking a nuclear weapon in order to increase pressure on Iran.

He went on to say that the West has so far played a role in the destruction of many countries in the region and Iran does not allow Westerners to do the same anymore.

Referring to the military threats of the Zionist regime, Marandi stated, "I did not think the Israelis are so stupid. The Americans are well aware that if they attack Iran, all their military bases and economic centers in the region will be at risk."

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