Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Western governments Thursday he would accept no "excessive demands" in nuclear talks set to resume later this month after a five-month gap.

Diplomats on Wednesday finally announced the November 29 start date for renewed negotiations after a protracted delay since the June election of Raisi, an ultraconservative.

"We will not walk away from the negotiating table, but we will also oppose any excessive demands that would end up harming the interests of the Iranian people," Raisi said.

"We will not retreat in any way when it comes to interests of the Iranian people, but will continue our efforts to neutralise the oppressive sanctions and are taking action to have them lifted."

Raisi was speaking at a ceremony in Semnan province, east of the capital, marking the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran by pro-Islamic revolution students, an episode that still clouds relations.

The nuclear talks, which are being brokered by European mediators as Tehran refuses to deal with US negotiators directly, are aimed at bringing Washington back into a 2015 agreement with Iran that was abandoned by former US president Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden has said he is ready to rejoin the deal, under which Iran agreed to strict limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sweeping sanctions.

But the two sides remain at odds over the details.

- 'They cheated us' -

Iran wants a lifting of all US sanctions which were imposed after Trump's withdrawal.

Biden's administration however says that it will only negotiate measures taken by the Trump over the nuclear programme, such as a unilateral ban on oil sales -- not steps imposed on other concerns such as human rights.

Tehran also wants commitments that the United States will remain bound by the deal -- an unlikely proposition in Washington, where Trump's Republican Party fiercely opposes Biden's diplomacy with Iran.

Washington insists that Tehran must return to full compliance with the limits on its nuclear programme it agreed in 2015, and has warned repeatedly that the window of opportunity for a deal is fast closing.

Tehran and Washington have been enemies since 1979, when the government of the US-backed shah was toppled and the Islamic republic established.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had already fled Iran after months of protests against his rule.

Seven months after the proclamation of the Islamic republic of Iran, students demanding the shah's extradition seized 52 hostages at the US embassy in Tehran and held them for 444 days, prompting Washington to sever ties.

On Thursday in Tehran, thousands of Iranians rallied outside the former US embassy chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".

Many also cast doubt over the resumption of the nuclear talks later this month.

"The United States never respected treaties or kept their promises, and nothing will change," one of the protesters, Hosein Hasani, a rug merchant, said.

Maedeh Razaghnejad, a student, added: "Let's not take part in the negotiations. They have cheated us several times... we cannot trust them".

Timeline: Iran's troubled nuclear deal since Trump exit
Tehran (AFP) Nov 4, 2021 - With talks on reviving a landmark 2015 agreement on Iran's nuclear programme poised to resume, we look at sanctions and brinkmanship since the United States pulled out of the pact in May 2018.

Here is a timeline:

- 2018: US withdrawal -

President Donald Trump walks away from the deal negotiated between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US -- plus Germany on May 8, 2018.

"We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement," he says.

- US sanctions -

Later that year, Washington reimposes sanctions on Iran and companies with ties to it, badly hitting Iran's vital oil sector and central bank.

Major international firms halt activities there as the US bans other nations from buying Iranian crude.

- 2019: Iran starts walk-back -

In May 2019, Iran takes its first step away from the deal, aiming to pressure Europe into helping it circumvent the sanctions.

Trump hits back by sanctioning Iran's steel and mining sectors.

In July, Tehran says it has exceeded the accord's restrictions on both its enriched uranium reserves and enrichment levels.

- 10-fold increase -

In September 2019, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) watchdog says Iran has started using advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium.

In November, Tehran says its enrichment increased tenfold and that it has developed two new advanced centrifuges.

It then resumes enrichment at its Fordo plant.

- 2020: Drone assassination -

Tensions between Washington and Tehran spiral after a US drone strike in January kills top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, sparking a tit-for-tat confrontation.

Iran announces its fifth step back, foregoing a limit on its number of centrifuges.

- Iranian demands -

In February 2020, Iran demands economic advantages from Europe in return for cancelling all, or part, of its rollback measures.

In March, European signatories say they have delivered medical goods to Iran under a mechanism established to bypass US sanctions.

On November 27, one of Iran's top nuclear scientists, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, is killed near Tehran in an attack that Iran blames on Israel.

- 2021: New breach -

With Trump in his last days in the White House and tensions spiralling, Tehran deals the accord a further blow on January 4 by saying it has resumed enriching uranium to 20 percent purity at Fordo.

The IAEA in February says Iran has started producing uranium metal, which can be used in nuclear weapons.

It is also "deeply concerned" by the possible presence of nuclear material at an undeclared site as Iran restricts inspections.

- 60 percent enrichment -

On April 7, with President Joe Biden in the White House, talks on rescuing the accord begin in Vienna.

But nine days later Iran says it will start enriching uranium up to 60 percent after an attack on its Natanz plant that it blames on Israel.

- Iran hits pause button -

Iran pauses talks in June after the election of hardline new president, Ebrahim Raisi.

But on August 5, he says it is again open to negotiations as experts warn nuclear work is continuing apace and advancing to dangerous levels.

- Tehran ready to talk -

On October 13, Washington raises the spectre of a military option as Europe presses Iran to rejoin the talks suspended since June.

On October 27, after a meeting in Brussels, Iran says it is ready to resume indirect talks in Vienna.

The US calls on it to show "good faith" when they start on November 29, saying a compromise could be reached quickly if Tehran is "serious".

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Iran nuclear talks to resume November 29 after five months
Washington (AFP) Nov 3, 2021
Iran agreed Wednesday to resume talks on November 29 with world powers on reviving a nuclear deal after a five-month gap, with the United States urging a quick resolution. The indirect negotiations in Vienna come amid mounting pressure on Iran, with Western nations warning that the clerical state's nuclear work is advancing to dangerous levels and Israel threatening to attack. EU envoy Enrique Mora, who led six rounds of talks earlier this year and recently flew to Tehran to seek progress, will ... read more