Iran to U.S.: Lift Sanctions Before We Follow Nuclear Rules

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that the U.S. must “completely lift” sanctions before they will return to their 2015 nuclear deal commitments in what could be one of President Biden’s first major foreign policy problems. “If they want Iran to return to its commitments ... America must completely lift sanctions, and not just in words or on paper,” Khamenei said in a televised speech to air force commanders Sunday. “They must be lifted in action, and then we will verify and see if they have been properly lifted, and then return.” Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the earlier deal, giving Iran ample opportunity to ramp up its uranium enrichment program. Khamenei went further to say that Iran may block nuclear inspections set for Feb. 21 if the Biden administration doesn’t act fast.