US sanctions should be lifted to ensure investment in Iran: Official

The "oppressive" US sanctions against Iran should be lifted in such a way that all countries can easily invest in Iran while maintaining their long-term interests, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has said.

Shamkhani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Iran's Nour News.

Iran will be committed to diplomacy until the realisation of its legal rights in nuclear talks, he was quoted as saying.

Al Thani's visit to Tehran followed the recent indirect talks between Iran and the US in Doha over their differences on reviving the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

The Iranian nuclear talks began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington.

--IANS

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