WILMINGTON, Del.—President Biden said the U.S. won’t make the first move to restart negotiations with Tehran over the 2015 nuclear accord, indicating he would only lift sanctions if Iran stops enriching uranium beyond the limits of the nuclear deal.
Mr. Biden made his comments in a CBS News interview. A clip of the interview was released Sunday morning. The full interview will run Sunday afternoon.
Asked by CBS News whether the U.S. will lift sanctions to convince Iran to participate in negotiations, Mr. Biden said, “No.” When CBS asked whether Iran must stop enriching uranium first, Mr. Biden nodded.
The Biden administration has previously said Iran must come into compliance with the 2015 agreement before sanctions will be lifted. “President Biden supports diplomacy to deal with the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, but he certainly isn’t going to offer sanctions relief just to get Iran back to the table, which is what the question suggested,” a White House official said on Sunday.
Before President Biden’s interview, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a speech Sunday reiterated Iran’s stance that it is Washington that must lift sanctions and come back into compliance with the nuclear accord.
