DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s supreme leader said on Sunday it was possible to reach an agreement with the West over Tehran’s disputed nuclear work if the country’s nuclear infrastructure remained intact, media said. officials quoting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“There is nothing wrong with the deal (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry must not be affected,” he said, adding that Tehran should continue to work with it. the UN nuclear watchdog under safeguards.
Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers have been deadlocked since September, with the two sides accusing each other of making unreasonable demands.
In 2019, Iran began breaching the terms of the deal in response to a 2018 US withdrawal under then-President Donald Trump.
The 2015 deal limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Iran denies wanting to acquire nuclear weapons.
Tehran and Washington on Thursday denied a report that they were close to reaching an interim deal under which Tehran would curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Alex Richardson and David Holmes)