Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi denied US President Donald Trump’s claims that the administration of former US president Barack Obama had given citizenship to 2,500 Iranians during the 2015 nuclear deal talks.
“Media reports that there was an agreement between Iran and the US during the nuclear talks to grant 2,500 resident permits (to Iranians) is a sheer lie and I strongly deny it,” Qassemi said on Sunday, Fars News Agency reported.
He added that there had been “no such talk” between the Iranian nuclear negotiators and the US delegation.
Qassemi also dismissed media reports that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s children have the citizenship of foreign countries, reiterating that they live and work in Iran.
Trump had claimed earlier this month that his predecessor had sweetened the Iran nuclear deal by granting US citizenship to 2,500 Iranians, including government officials.
Trump has long derided the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but this is a new claim coming two months after he abandoned the historic deal.
No part of the JCPOA mentions the granting of US citizenship or legal resident status to Iranians.
