Swift lifting of Trump-era Iran sanctions would indicate Biden’s commitment to restoring US credibility: UN envoy

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations says the Joe Biden administration must “swiftly” remove US sanctions against the Islamic Republic as a first step in restoring Washington’s “shattered credibility,” warning that any delay in that regard will signal “continued animosity” and “insincerity” towards the Iranian nation.

In an op-ed published in New York Times, Majid Takht-Ravanchi called on new US President Biden to make good on his promises to reverse his predecessor Donald Trump’s belligerent policies.

The Iranian diplomat highlighted that Biden can start by lifting the sanctions against Tehran and returning to the 2015 multilateral deal, which Trump quit in 2018 in defiance of global criticism.   

“The new administration should … swiftly remove the new sanctions that the Trump administration placed on Iran. This will indicate the new government’s commitment to rebuilding the United States’ shattered global credibility,” Takht-Ravanchi wrote.

He added that the United States must also “immediately adhere to its commitments in the nuclear agreement,” which were enshrined in international law in UN Security Council 2231, in order to put the country back into compliance.  

Biden won’t have everlasting chance to lift sanctions, return to nuclear deal: Iran

Iran warns that the administration of new US President Biden will not have an indefinite time period to rejoin the JCPOA.

Any failure of the US to fulfill its commitments whole-heartedly, the diplomat warned, will “undermine” Biden’s promises, not to mention the fact that it “will also be interpreted as insincerity on the part of the new administration, which will provide ammunition for opponents of the nuclear deal to sabotage diplomacy.”

He said that Biden has two strings to his bow, as he could maintain the Iran sanctions, which would be “tantamount to continuing Mr. Trump’s ill-fated ‘maximum pressure’ policy,” or “he could opt for the prompt fulfillment of American obligations under the nuclear deal, a promise he has already made.”

“Mr. Biden and his administration should know that any delay in the lifting of sanctions will be construed as a sign of continued animosity toward the Iranian people,” he said, adding that Washington was directly responsible for the sufferings of the Iranian people which were the result of the “unjust blockade” on Iran’s economy.

Takht-Ravanchi highlighted that the US return to the nuclear deal and removal of sanctions could also help ease tensions not only in the region but also in the entire world.    

Iran will only respond to actions, not words: Zarif to US

Zarif says it is Washington’s actions that Iran takes as its yardstick, not its words.

Biden’s predecessor, Trump, withdrew the US from the JCPOA in May 2018. Trump also returned the draconian sanctions that had been lifted against Tehran under the agreement.

Biden has said that he may return the US to the deal, but Iranian officials have stressed that Tehran should see genuine actions not mere words from Washington.

They underscore that the US needs to first lift all its sanctions to prove its goodwill and then ask Iran to resume its obligations.

Takht-Ravanchi reaffirmed in his article Iran’s pledge on numerous occasions “that it is ready to return to the obligations initially agreed under the nuclear deal and expeditiously reverse the measures we have taken since, if all of the sanctions are withdrawn that were imposed and reimposed by the Trump administration after its illegal withdrawal from the accord.”

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