Western economic sanctions should be lifted completely, rather than gradually, before an agreement can be reached in talks on the Iranian nuclear issue, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday in an exclusive interview with Kyodo News. “Sanctions and an agreement don’t go together,” said Zarif, showing a significant difference with western nuclear negotiators, at a time when both sides are aiming to conclude a framework agreement by the end of this month.
Zarif said a gradual lifting of the sanctions on Iran is not “very conducive” to confidence building. “We have a very clear mandate that all sanctions must go.”
