Washington, March 12 : The US reaffirmed that it would not offer any unilateral incentives for talks with Iran.
“We will not offer any unilateral gestures or incentives to induce the Iranians to come to the table,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday during his daily briefing, Xinhua news agency reported.
“If the Iranians are under the impression that absent any movement on their part to resume full compliance with the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) that we will offer favors or unilateral gestures, that’s a misimpression,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday made clear in a congressional hearing that Washington would not make concessions only to get a meeting with Tehran.
Blinken also dismissed media reports that South Korea would release frozen Iranian assets before Tehran “comes back into compliance” with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The US and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal.
The Joe Biden administration said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the US would do the same. But Iran insisted its compliance would only take place once US sanctions were removed.
Tehran recently also rejected an offer from the European Union to hold nuclear talks with European countries and the US.
In response to the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018 and the reimposition of sanctions, Iran has suspended implementing parts of its obligations under the deal.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.