(Recasts, adds quotes, background)
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Feb 19 (Reuters) – The United Stateshas no plan to ease sanctions or take other steps such asissuing an executive order about returning to the 2015 Irannuclear deal before possible talks with Iran and major powers,White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as U.S. President JoeBiden flew to Michigan, Psaki said “there is no plan to takeadditional steps” on Iran in advance of having a “diplomaticconversation.”
The United States said on Thursday it was ready to talk toIran about both nations returning to a 2015 pact that aimed toprevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which Biden’spredecessor Donald Trump abandoned nearly three yearsago.
Under the deal, Iran accepted curbs to its nuclear programin return for the lifting of international sanctions. Washingtonreimposed sanctions after Trump quit, and Iran responded byviolating some of the deal’s nuclear limits.
Iran reacted coolly to the Biden administration’s initialoffer, with its foreign minister saying Tehran will “immediatelyreverse” actions in its nuclear program once U.S. sanctions arelifted.
Asked if the Biden administration was considering anexecutive order about reviving the agreement, Psaki noted theEuropean Union has floated the idea of a conversation among Iranand the six major powers who struck the agreement: Britain,China, France, Germany Russia and the United States.
“The Europeans have invited us and … it is simply aninvitation to have a conversation, a diplomatic conversation. Wedon’t need additional administrative steps to participate inthat conversation,” she said.(Reporting by Alexandra Alper and Steve HollandEditing by Chizu Nomiyama and Peter Graff)