Washington 0
10 March 2021

Asked about the partial release of Iranian funds blocked in South Korea, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken asserted that “unless and until Iran comes back into [JCPOA] compliance, they won’t be getting that relief”. He also underscored that “the ball is in their court to see if they’re serious about engaging or not”. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif riposted that “the U.S. claims it favors diplomacy; not Trump’s failed policy of ‘maximum pressure’. Yet Secretary Blinken boasts about blocking Korea from transferring our own money to the Swiss Channel—only used for food and medicine”. “Repeating the same policy won’t yield new results”, insisted Zarif. A U.S. official subsequently reiterated that Washington would “not offer any unilateral gestures or incentives to induce the Iranians to come to the table”, adding: “If the Iranians are under the impression that, absent any movement on their part to resume full compliance with the JCPOA, that we will offer favours or unilateral gestures... that’s a misimpression”.  

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