Iran says won't resume nuclear commitments until US lifts sanctions

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the US must "completely lift" sanctions first, followed by verification by Tehran, if it wants them to reverse their nuclear steps.

"Iran has fulfilled all its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, not the United States and the three European countries. If they want Iran to return to its commitments, the United States must lift all sanctions first," Khamenei wrote on Twitter.

"After verifying whether all sanctions have been lifted, then we will return to full compliance," he added.

Former US president Donald Trump exited the nuclear accord between Iran and six powers in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

But the new US president, Joe Biden, who took office last month, said if Tehran returned to strict compliance with the 2015 nuclear pact, Washington would follow suit and use that as a springboard to a broader agreement that might restrict Iran's missile development and regional activities.

Iran has breached the deal in a step-by-step response to Trump's "maximum pressure" policy, but it has repeatedly said it could quickly reverse those violations if US sanctions are removed.