The steps taken by the U.S. to lift sanctions are "good but not enough," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Saturday, hours after the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden announced it was waiving some sanctions on Iran's civilian nuclear program.
"The lifting of some sanctions can, in the true sense of the word, translate into their good will. Americans talk about it, but it should be known that what happens on paper is good but not enough," the Iranian official was quoted as saying by ISNA news agency.
"We seek and demand guarantees in the political, legal and economic sectors," he said, adding that "agreements have been reached in some areas."
"Our negotiating team in the Vienna talks is seriously pursuing obtaining tangible guarantees from the West to fulfill their commitments," Amir Abdollahian said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian attends a press conference in Tehran, Iran, October 27, 2021. /CFP
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, ruled out any restriction on the country's legal right to press on with its peaceful nuclear program.
He tweeted on Saturday that "Iran's legal right to continue research and development and to maintain its peaceful nuclear capabilities and achievements, along with its security against supported evils, cannot be restricted by any agreement."
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U.S. waives sanctions for Iran's civil nuclear program as talks enter final phase
(With input from AFP)