Iran will only sign final nuclear deal if sanctions end on same day…
Khamenei called the deal “non-binding” and said the prospect of lifting sanctions in stages was “unacceptable”, saying they must be removed on the same day a deal is signed.
He also said that an extension of the June 30 deadline “would not be the end of the world” and that the talks between Iran and the powers were only about the nuclear issue.
The United States has made clear that it would only agree to sanctions on Iran being phased out gradually as Tehran complies with a final deal to curb its nuclear program.
“You can’t start talking about relieving sanctions until we’ve reached agreements about how we’re going to shut down every pathway they have to a nuclear weapon,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing.
“It has never been our position that all of the sanctions against Iran should be removed from Day One,” he said.
The United States could foresee a point at which sanctions could be dismantled, but only after “sustained compliance over a long period of time,” Earnest said.