Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref affirmed the country's commitment to negotiations over its nuclear program but firmly rejected any form of "paying a ransom," according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.
The ambassador made the remarks after the UN Security Council's biannual meeting on the JCPOA, or the Iranian deal, and Resolution 2231
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed that extra demands beyond the JCPOA by some parties are irrelevant to the potential deal
Despite progresses in the negotiations, the parties have announced that some "serious" differences were yet to be resolved
The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran.
Secretary of State Pompeo said the US would not hesitate to hit back hard against Iran's 'kleptocratic regime' if it came under attack, but pledged that any action would be consistent with the rule of law.
In a statement broadcast on state TV late on Sunday, the Iranian government said the country would no longer observe limitations on uranium enrichment, stockpiles of enriched uranium or nuclear research and development.
The government claims that it wants to tackle fuel smuggling and give cash payments to the poorest three-quarters of Iran’s 80 million population.
Tensions between the two countries have soared since Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the JCPOA in May last year and began reimposing crippling sanctions on the Islamic republic.
Besides, one can hardly overlook the fact that Bolton’s innate hostility towards Iran is shared by America’s leading allies in the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, Israel and the UAE.
