Regarding The US-Iran Nuclear Agreement, US Secretary Of State: There Are Conditions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State (US Foreign Minister) Antony Blinken made his first statement, after the US Senate agreed as Secretary of State. In his statement Wednesday, January 27 local time, Blinken mentioned the nuclear agreement with Iran.

The veteran diplomat said, Tehran must be aware of the entire 2015 nuclear deal and comply seriously. According to him, if Iran fulfills its obligations under the JCPOA, the United States will do the same.

If Iran returns to the deal, Washington will seek to build what Blinken calls a "longer and stronger agreement" that will tackle other "very problematic" issues.

"Iran is non-compliant on a number of fronts and it will take time. If it makes a decision to do so, it will return to compliance and time for us to assess whether it fulfills its obligations," Blinken said.

"We are not there yet, but we will bring a different perspective on this issue," he added, without naming US officials who would discuss this with Iran.

The nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was agreed upon by Iran and the six major powers in 2015. Iran is committed to limiting its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from the United States and others.

US President Joe Biden did not rule out his administration to return to this agreement. Earlier, former President Donald Trump scrapped the deal in 2018 and reimposed US sanctions, which caused Iran to start violating its terms.

Meanwhile, Israel as one of the US allies has emphasized that the plan to return to the nuclear agreement with Iran is a wrong step.

"Going back to the 2015 nuclear agreement or even if it was a full deal with some repairs, is bad and wrong from an operational and strategic point of view," Israel's Chief of Military Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi said Tuesday.