According to a brief written excerpt of an interview with NBC News published on Monday, Blinken alleged it could be “a matter of weeks” if Iran continues to lift restraints put in place by the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Zarif rejected those comments in an interview with CNN on Monday.

“I think that is a statement of concern that is more addressed to the public opinion than to reality,” the foreign minister said.

“Iran does not seek a nuclear weapon. If we wanted to build a nuclear weapon, we could have done it some time ago, but we decided that nuclear weapons would not augment our security and are in contradiction to our ideological views.”

In a full transcript of the NBC News interview sent out on Monday evening by the US State Department, Blinken said he was basing his projections on “public reports” and said the timeline would get “more acute” if Iran lifts more nuclear deal restraints.

“Now, the fissile material is one thing. Having a weapon that they can actually detonate and use is another,” Blinken said, according to the readout.

Iran began to loosen compliance with the deal after former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 as part of his administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy against the Iranian government.

As part of the deal, signed in 2015, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of international sanctions.

US President Joe Biden, who took office on January 20, has promised to return to the accord and re-engage diplomatically with Tehran.

According to the excerpts of the NBC News interview, Blinken said Washington will return to the Iran nuclear deal provided Tehran gets into compliance and the Biden administration then plans to negotiate a “longer and stronger” accord.

But Iran has said it will not renegotiate the deal and placed blame on the US for its unilateral withdrawal.

“The nuclear accord is a multilateral international agreement ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which is non-negotiable and parties to it are clear and unchangeable,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted by state media as saying on Saturday.

In his interview with CNN, Zarif said the US does not have “unlimited” time to rejoin the deal.

“The United States needs to come back into compliance and Iran will be ready – immediately – to respond,” Zarif said.

“The timing is not the issue. The issue is whether the United States, whether the new administration, wants to follow the old failed policies of the Trump administration or not.”

Biden has named people involved in Iran’s nuclear deal negotiations to key positions within his administration. That includes Robert Malley, his new Iran envoy, and Wendy Sherman, his nominee for deputy secretary of state.

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Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg dismissed Macron’s call for a European “strategic dialog” about the role of France’s nuclear protection and said a “tried and tested” deterrent was already in place.

Hailing France as a “highly valued ally” whose nuclear capabilities contributed to NATO’s overall security, Stoltenberg said, however, that Europe was already protected by what he called nuclear deterrence by the atomic weapons of member states Britain and the US.

“We have to remember that we have a European nuclear deterrent today — 28 allies deliver that every day and it’s not only a promise, but it’s something that has been there for decades,” Stoltenberg told reporters at the international conference. “It’s tried and tested, we exercise it, and it’s institutionalized, and it is the ultimate security guarantee for Europe.”

Britain’s departure from the EU last month has made France the bloc’s only nuclear power, but Paris has refused to put its nuclear deterrence capabilities under the auspices of the EU or NATO.

In a major speech in Paris last week, Macron claimed France’s nuclear arsenal now had “a European dimension” after Britain’s exit from the EU.

The French president also reiterated his previous calls for Europe’s defensive autonomy from the US and the reduction of reliance on other world powers.

“The issue is not for Europeans to know whether they must defend themselves with or without Washington,” Macron said during the speech. “But our security derives also, inevitably, from a greater capacity by Europeans to act autonomously.”

Stoltenberg clashed with Macron last year after the French president said NATO was suffering from “brain death,” and described the US-led military alliance as strategically and politically defunct.

US President Donald Trump has been a fierce NATO critic, mostly accusing other military alliance members of not paying their “fair share.”

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The report also mentioned the numerous unconfirmed reports that Israel has modified its fleet of German-built Dolphin class submarines to carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, giving it a sea-based second-strike capability.

According to the report, at the start of 2019 there were approximately 13,865 nuclear weapons in the hands of nine states of which 3,750 were deployed with operational forces and another estimated 2,000 kept in a state of high operational alert.

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Iran and six major world powers reached an agreement in 2015, verifying that Iran is not after nuclear weapons, he noted, adding, “this is while Trump said Friday in Japan that he will open all doors for Iran if Tehran says no to nukes.”

“Our enemy doesn’t understand the structure of Iran’s government. When the Leader of the Islamic Revolution issued a fatwa on banning nuclear weapons … then no individual in the country is allowed to approach nukes,” he highlighted.

He went on to say that the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified Iran’s commitment to the JCPOA in 14 consecutive reports.

“Americans know all these, but they still want to fight with a powerful and historic nation. They will surely live to regret it,” Jahangiri noted.

“We hope that Americans would come to their senses and stop these pressures and let Iran continue on the development path, and we would have a safe region and hold dialogues with regional countries,” he added.

In a Friday joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, US President Donald Trump said that Washington is not after “regime change” in Iran, rather it wants Tehran to stop seeking nuclear weapons. “Iran has tremendous economic potentials. And I look forward to letting them get back to the stage,” he added.

Trump withdrew US from Iran nuclear deal, officially known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), back in May 2018, re-imposing tough sanctions on Tehran. Other signatories to the deal have vowed to save it through securing Iran’s economic interests; however, no practical measure has been yet adopted to counter US illegal sanctions.

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“B-Team’s Economic Terrorism is hurting the Iranian people and causing tension in the region. Actions—not words—will show whether or not that’s Donald Trump’s intent,” he added.

The remarks came after Trump claimed on Monday that US is “not looking for regime change” in Iran, rather all pressures are aimed at preventing Iran from achieving nuclear weapons. This is while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has verified Iran’s commitment to the agreement on 14 separate occasions and it has also closed the so-called possible military dimensions (PMD) case on Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump withdrew US from Iran nuclear deal, officially known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), back in May 2018, re-imposing tough sanctions on Tehran. Other signatories to the deal have vowed to save it through securing Iran’s economic interests; however, no practical measure has been yet adopted to counter US illegal sanctions.

Recently, tensions have grown between Tehran and Washington after US decided to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. Tehran fired back by designating US Central Command forces in the Middle East as terrorists.

Zarif believes that the B-Team, comprised of US National Security Advisor John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is behind all the pressures and after waging a war on Iran.

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“The US continues to exert maximum pressure to dismantle the JCPOA and UNSC resolution 2231. These pressures, if continued, will be detrimental not only to the stability and security in the Middle East region, but to the NPT,” he highlighted.

Here is the full text of his speech as published by UN website:

Mr. Chairman,

I congratulate you for your election to Chair this important session and assure you of our full cooperation. My delegation fully subscribes to the views expressed in the statement made by Venezuela on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mr. Chairman,

The Islamic Republic of Iran has resolutely advocated the objectives of the NPT and supports their effective implementation. This is obvious that the sustainability and credibility of the NPT, as an important contribution to international peace and security, is warranted if its so-called “core bargain” is secured; the non-nuclear-weapon States not to pursue the acquisition of nuclear weapons in return for the nuclear-weapon States’ pursuing nuclear disarmament. Regrettably, the nuclear-weapon States have not kept their side of the “bargain”.

With the exception of a few nuclear umbrella States in Europe which host the US nuclear weapons in their territory, the overwhelming majority of non-nuclear-weapon States continue to fulfill their obligations relating to non-proliferation. In return, the nuclear-weapon States have failed to abide by their obligations to pursue negotiations on effective measures for nuclear disarmament and have not eliminated their arsenals of nuclear weapons. The non-compliance with Article VI poses a serious threat to the NPT with far-reaching implications. Nuclear-weapon States should acknowledge that there is no scope for selective or conditional compliance with their treaty obligations.

Nuclear arms reductions should not be confused with effective nuclear disarmament measures. Reductions, in most of the cases, did not lead to actual elimination of nuclear weapons. Such reductions, mainly driven by cold war concepts of the strategic balance of power, have been offset by the development of more advanced nuclear weapons with higher destructive power.

Mr. Chairman,

The prospect for a new era of nuclear arms race is looming large. The very ambitious and extensive modernization plan of the US, which is in gross violation of the spirit and letter of the NPT, offers a clear example in this regard. The INF treaty, once symbolizing the end of the cold war, is on the verge of collapse as a result of the US non-compliance with its treaty obligations. The US also intends to produce the so-called more usable nukes and brazenly threaten to use them against non-nuclear-weapon States. The prospect is even worse with the current intransigent US administration which shows zero respect for their international obligations.

The America’s withdrawal from international treaties and instruments one after another, its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a rampant violation of Security Council resolution 2231, and its re-imposition of illegal and unilateral sanctions against my country clearly attest to US continued disrespect for multilateral regimes and institutions. The US is pursuing such policies despite the fact that IAEA has repeatedly confirmed Iran’s full compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA and the NPT. Surprisingly, and as a party to the unanimous Security Council resolution 2231, the US is blatantly threatening to punish other UN member states if they comply.

The US continues to exert maximum pressure to dismantle the JCPOA and UNSC resolution 2231. These pressures, if continued, will be detrimental not only to the stability and security in the Middle East region, but to the NPT. The anti-JCPOA and other unlawful and coercive measures by the US administration against Iran allude to the fact that this administration is driven by the Rule of the Jungle in its international relations. Such policies will not be left unanswered and Iran will adopt appropriate measures to preserve its supreme national interests.

Mr. Chairman,

Before concluding, let me highlight that in 2020 Review Conference, the first priority must be to adopt concrete decisions on nuclear disarmament, including through agreeing on the commencement of negotiations and early conclusion of a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention. Any such notion as the CCND that aims to create conditions for nuclear disarmament must be categorically rejected.

The second priority should be the implementation of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East. The nuclear weapons of the Israeli regime continue to threaten the peace and security of the region and beyond. This occupying and aggressor regime, that brazenly threatens others with nuclear annihilation, must be compelled to join the Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon party, without further delay and precondition. It must place all its nuclear activities and facilities under the IAEA full-scope safeguards. This is the only way towards the implementation of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East.

I wish this PrepCom session a successful outcome.

Thank you for your attention.

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