Iran Criticizes U.S. Sanctions Policy Ahead of Key Cairo Nuclear Meeting

2nd June 2025

2 minutes read

Iran Criticizes U.S. Sanctions Policy Ahead of Key Cairo Nuclear Meeting

Ahead of a scheduled meeting in Cairo to discuss its nuclear file, Iran criticized the lack of any shift in the U.S. position regarding sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated on Monday that Iran needs to see whether there has been a change in the U.S. stance on sanctions, adding, “That is something we have not yet witnessed.”

He stressed that the U.S. must provide clarity on how it plans to lift sanctions to avoid repeating past failures, as both countries continue negotiations aimed at resolving a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

On Monday, Tehran also urged the U.S. to provide “guarantees” following a U.S. proposal regarding a potential nuclear agreement.

This comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi prepares to hold talks in Cairo with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Aty, according to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.

The meeting comes one day after an IAEA report stated that Iran had accelerated its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity — a level nearing the 90% threshold needed for military use.

During his visit to Cairo, Araghchi is also expected to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Araghchi is also scheduled to visit Lebanon on Monday to consult on “regional issues and developments,” including the war in Gaza and the crises in Libya and Sudan, the agency reported.

According to a confidential IAEA report viewed by AFP, Iran’s total stockpile of enriched uranium now exceeds the 2015 nuclear deal’s limits by over 45 times, reaching 9,247.6 kilograms.

The report noted that such a quantity of enriched uranium “raises serious concerns.”

Tehran rejected the findings, accusing the IAEA in a statement of relying on “misleading and untrustworthy information provided by the Zionist regime.”

Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon — a charge Iran denies, insisting that its nuclear program is purely peaceful.

Araghchi warned that Iran would respond if European countries “exploited” the report for “political” purposes.

In a phone call with Grossi on Sunday, Araghchi urged him not to allow “certain parties” to misuse the report to serve their political objectives against Iran, referring to the UK, France, and Germany, which recently warned they may reimpose sanctions if Iran’s nuclear program poses a threat to European security.

The report comes as indirect Iran-U.S. negotiations continue — mediated by Oman — following Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord.

The IAEA Board of Governors is scheduled to review Iran’s nuclear activities during its meeting in Vienna on June 9.