U.S. slammed for "flagrantly contradictory" practice on Iranian issues

TEHRAN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday slammed the United States for its "flagrantly contradictory" practice of requesting negotiations with Iran on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal while simultaneously taking measures to perpetuate its sanctions on Iran.

Nasser Kanaani made the remarks in a weekly press conference in the capital Tehran, reacting to a bipartisan bill recently advanced by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to make the 1996 sanctions against Iran permanent, according to a statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Kanaani said the move proved that the U.S. is "addicted" to pursuing the policy of sanctions against governments of other countries, particularly the independent ones, and turning sanctions into a tool of its foreign policy, which is an "illegal and rejected" behavior.

Noting the unilateral sanctions would never produce results as the U.S. had expected, as they have so far failed to have any outcome, the spokesman cautioned that Washington must be held accountable for its measures against the Iranian nation.

The Solidifying Iran Sanctions Act was voted in favor on Wednesday. It is capable of making the 1996 sanctions against Iran, due to expire in 2026, permanent by removing the "sunset clause" that provides an expiry date for a measure against the country.

The bill, approved by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, is heading to a full vote on the House floor.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015. Under the agreement, Iran accepted certain restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of the sanctions. However, the United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran reduced its nuclear commitments under the agreement.

The negotiations for the revival of the JCPOA commenced in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. Despite several rounds of talks, no significant breakthrough has been achieved since the latest round in August 2022.