As Trump departs, Iran says 'ball in Washington’s court' to reinstate nuclear deal
President Hassan Rouhani appeared more upbeat on the prospects of the Iran nuclear deal on the day that Donald Trump departed from the White House.
Donald Trump’s departure from the White House must have prompted a sigh of relief from his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, who declared the outgoing US leader “dead” and the Iran nuclear deal “alive and more kicking than ever.”
Addressing a Cabinet meeting Jan. 20, Rouhani said that “the ball is now in Washington’s court” to abide by its obligations under the 2015 accord from which Trump walked away in May 2018, reinstating a set of onerous economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Since 2019, in response to the US pullout as well as the perceived failure of European sides to make good on their promises, Iran has been on a phased “commitment reduction” process viewed by the deal’s Western signatories as provocative breaches. Those measures have seen Iran raise its nuclear enrichment level to 20% and augment its uranium stockpile well beyond constraints agreed upon under the accord.
Rouhani once again declared Iran’s readiness to reverse those steps if the administration of President Joe Biden honors its commitments “with honesty.”
