Iran Says No Deal Without Sanctions Relief, Return of Frozen Assets

Iranian official tells Al Jazeera

'Any ceasefire violation' will draw a firm response

Iran said there will be no agreement unless the US lifts sanctions and returns frozen Iranian assets.

Iran's semi-official Mehr and Tasnim news agencies reported on June 8 that an Iranian official told Al Jazeera Tehran cannot accept a revised US draft memorandum of understanding. The official said sanctions relief and the return of frozen assets are preconditions for any deal.

Any violation of the ceasefire could negatively affect the negotiations, the official added, saying Iran would respond firmly. Sustainable stability and security in the region can be achieved only by establishing a practical deterrence mechanism against aggression, the official said.

The US made some changes to the draft memorandum of understanding, according to the official, who did not elaborate on the revisions.

Axios reported that the original draft included extending the ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Iran to sell oil, and starting talks on Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium and future limits on enrichment. Trump later sought changes to the deadline for diluting Iran's enriched uranium and to the timing and size of the release of frozen funds, Axios said.

Israel and Iran halted attacks after strong pressure from Trump, following direct strikes on June 7 and June 8, the first such exchanges since the two sides agreed to a ceasefire two months earlier.

Park Su-bin, Hankyung.com reporter waterbean@hankyung.com