Iran's president-elect said he won't meet with Pres. Biden nor negotiate over Tehran's ballistic missile program and its support of regional militias.
The comments by Ebrahim Raisi offered a blunt preview of howmight deal with the wider world in the next four years as it enters a new stage in negotiations to resurrect its now-tattered 2015 nuclear deal with global powers.
Concerning the talks over Iran's nuclear deal, Raisi promised to salvage the accord to secure relief from U.S. sanctions that have devastated the Iranian economy. But he ruled out any limits to Iran's missile capabilities and support for regional militias — among other issues viewed by Washington as shortcomings of the landmark deal that the Biden administration wants addressed.
When asked about a possible meeting with Biden, Raisi curtly answered: “No.” He frowned and stared ahead, without elaborating. His moderate competitor in the election, Abdolnasser Hemmati, had suggested during campaigning that he might be willing to meet Biden. Raisi’s election vaults hard-liners to top posts across the government as negotiations grind on in Vienna to try to rescue Tehran's nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its atomic program.
But in his remarks Monday, Raisi emphasized the deal's importance, describing sanctions relief as “central to our foreign policy” and exhorting the U.S. to “return and implement your commitments."
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