President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that he had not seen new action from the Biden administration over reviving Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. “I think there is no doubt which side should take the first step,” Rouhani told foreign ambassadors in Tehran. “During the Covid pandemic, we didn’t see even one favorable step from the Trump administration, and we have not seen any action from the new administration so far.”

Rouhani reiterated Iran’s position on its 2015 agreement with world powers, that the onus rested with the United States given the Trump administration had in 2018 left the deal, known as the JCPOA, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was endorsed by the United Nations Security Council 2231.

“We have not exited our commitments to take the first step,” Rouhani said. “The country that has exited its [JCPOA] commitments and [gone] against international regulations and its commitments under resolution 2231 of the UN has inflicted cruelty on our nation, is duty bound to take the first step.” The ambassadors had gathered to congratulate the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The Vatican Ambassador greeting President Hassan Rouhani. February 9, 2021

After the US left the JCPOA in 2018, Iran has since 2019 expanded its nuclear program beyond the limits set by the deal – enriching uranium beyond 3.67 precent, using more advanced centrifuges and expanding its fuel stockpile – thereby bringing it closer to the capacity to assemble a weapon. While President Joe Biden expressed during his successful election campaign his desire to revive the JCPOA, his administration has so far been consulting with Europe while calling on Iran to return to the nuclear limits. 

Remaining JCPOA signatories – Iran, Russia, China, the UK, Germany and France – agreed in December that both Tehran and Washington should return to the deal. Iran’s main demand is the lifting of all sanctions imposed by the Trump administration, including those the US said related to ‘terrorism’ or alleged earlier violations of nuclear sanctions.

Foreign ambassadors lining up to greet the president. February 9, 2021

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, pointed out in December that reviving the JCPOA required a program – covering sanctions and Iran’s atomic program – agreed at the political level, presumably through JCPOA or UN structures. The US and European powers are also suggesting further negotiations covering regional defense issues, including Iran’s ballistic missile program. French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly advocated involving Saudi Arabia, which has opposed the JCPOA.

Rouhani’s remarks over sanctions and Covid reflect a long-running argument over the effect of sanctions on medical supplies. Both human-rights groups and banks have long argued that US financial sanctions deter or hamper Iran in importing medicines and medical equipment, even when sanctions ostensibly exempt humanitarian goods.

The Trump administration offered help to Iran over the coronavirus crisis in February 2020, but Tehran argued that US sanctions hampered the procurement of medicines. As Covid worsened, United Nations experts joined aid and human-rights organizations calling for the lifting of US sanctions restricting various countries’ ability to cope.

Pharmaceutical officials in Iran said in December that there were no problems importing medicines and that the government was spending 100 million euros monthly importing medications. In January, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei banned the purchase of American and British Covid vaccines.