U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press conference on February 4, 2021, at the White House’s Brady Briefing Room in Washington, DC.
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WASHINGTON – White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the United States had started talking to Iran about detained Americans.
“We started to communicate with the Iranians on this issue, yes. And we will continue to do so as we move forward,” said Sullivan of the five detained Americans.
“Our strong message to Iranians will be that we will not accept a long-term proposal in which they continue to keep Americans unfair and illegal,” he told CBS on his “Face the Nation” program, adding “It will be a significant priority. of this government is to take Americans safely home. “
When asked about an update on nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran, Sullivan said “the ball is in their side”.
Sullivan said that President Joe Biden remains committed to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and believes that the best way to do this is through “perceptive diplomacy”.
“He is prepared to go to the table to talk to the Iranians about how we will get back strict restrictions on his nuclear program. That offer still stands because we believe that diplomacy is the best way to do it. Iran has not yet responded.” said Sullivan. .
Tensions between Washington and Tehran increased after former President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the historic nuclear deal.
Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, pauses while speaking during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, October 14, 2019.
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The 2015 Joint Joint Action Plan, brokered by the Obama administration, lifted sanctions against Iran that hurt its economy and cut its oil exports almost in half. In exchange for easing sanctions, Iran accepted limits on its nuclear program until the terms expired in 2025.
The United States and its European allies believe that Iran has ambitions to develop a nuclear bomb. Tehran has denied this charge.
Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA in 2018, calling it “the worst deal ever.”
After Washington’s withdrawal from the historic nuclear deal, other signatories to the pact – France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China – tried to keep the deal alive.
Tehran refused to negotiate as long as U.S. sanctions remain in place.