Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian denounced the Biden administration’s policy of accusations and sanctions, saying that he will not be able to impose his will on the Islamic Republic through such tactics.
“If the window of diplomacy is still open, that is due to Iran’s proactive initiatives,” Amirabdollahian tweeted late Monday.
“@POTUS cannot impose unilateral US views through accusations and sanctions. Diplomacy is not a one-way street,” he added.
US President Joe Biden claimed in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post on Saturday that Iran had been isolated diplomatically during his 18 months in office.
“On Iran, we are meeting with allies and partners in Europe and around the world to reverse our isolation; now it is Iran that is isolated until it returns to the nuclear deal that my predecessor abandoned without any plan to replace it,” he said.
Biden also boasted about a US-led vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors on June 8.
“My administration will continue to increase diplomatic and economic pressure until Iran is ready to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, and I remain prepared to do so,” he wrote.
“Reaching a final agreement needs acceptance of US realities, flexibility and initiatives,” Amirabdollahian responded Monday.
Last week, the US government imposed new sanctions on individuals and entities it accused of helping deliver and sell Iranian oil and petrochemical products to East Asia.
The moves were yet another testament to the Biden administration’s refusal to break with its predecessor’s failed “maximum pressure” campaign policy, despite claiming an interest in diplomacy and undoing past mistakes.
Iran’s petrochemical industry and its products have long been under sanctions, but its sales have continued through various channels and will continue to do so, according to senior officials. Iran’s oil prices soared earlier this year, despite being under US sanctions.
Biden’s claims about isolating Iran also do not reflect reality. Tehran has been a frequent host to heads of state and important diplomatic delegations in recent weeks. Meanwhile, President Ebrahim Raisi has visited a number of countries since he took office in August, including Russia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Oman and Qatar.
