Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) holds a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) on the second straight day of talks over Tehran's nuclear program in Vienna, July 14, 2014. (photo by REUTERS/Jim Bourg)Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/11/khamenei-aide-velayati-may-join-oman-nuclear--talks-kerry.html##ixzz3IY5b64ex[/caption]
A US State Department Spokesman announced that Washington would suspend the sanctions on Iran first if a nuclear deal is reached and would lift them only after the US is confident that Iran "lived up to its commitments".
WASHINGTON, November 19 (Sputnik)�� Washington will suspend the sanctions on�Iranbefore�terminating them if a�nuclear�agreement is reached, US State Department Spokesman Jeff Rathke said.
"If the P5+1 talks with�Iran come to�an arrangement, we've taken the view that it would be better to�suspend rather than�terminate sanctions at�first," Rathke stated Tuesday during�a press briefing. "And only once we are confident that Iran lived up�to its commitments, would we look to�terminate the sanctions."
Rathke added that due to�the concerns of�both the current and the previous administrations as�well as�of their partners in�Congress, the US does not find it "logical or good policy to�simply terminate sanctions immediately."
"Suspension makes it easier to�snap sanctions back in�the place if Iran were not to�hold up�its end of�the deal," he explained.
US Senators Robert Menendez and Mark Kirk said in�a joint statement last week that Iran must commit to�completely abandoning its nuclear program before�the United States agrees to�any deal that would provide sanctions relief.
The final round�of the P5+1�discussions�commenced in�Vienna�on�Tuesday. The negotiations are aimed at�reducing the scope of�Iran's nuclear program in�exchange for�removing sanctions.
The P5+1 group including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Germany, set November 24 as�the deadline for�reaching a deal that would ensure Iran's nuclear program is restricted to�peaceful applications.
By Sputnik News
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