Iran says lifting sanctions 'part and parcel' of any deal with US

AFP , Tuesday 17 Feb 2026

Iran on Tuesday said the lifting of US sanctions was an integral part of any nuclear deal with the United States, as talks between the two countries began in Geneva.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei. AFP

"Sanctions lifting is part and parcel of any deal on the nuclear issue," said foreign ministry spokesman Emsaeil Baqaei in a video broadcast by the English-language state-run Press TV.

Earlier, Fars news agency quoted Baqaei as saying that removing sanctions was an "inseparable" part of any nuclear deal.

On Sunday, Iran's deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that Tehran would consider compromises on its uranium stockpile if Washington lifted sanctions that have crippled the country's economy.

The purchasing power of Iranians has been steadily eroded in recent months amid rising prices and a sharp depreciation in the currency.

"If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement," Takht-Ravanchi said.

Tehran and Washington resumed negotiations in Muscat on 6 February, months after previous talks collapsed following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June, which triggered a 12-day war. The United States later joined the conflict, carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The talks in Geneva are "indirect," similar to the previous round held in Oman, Iran said on Tuesday.