TEHRAN, May 07 (MNA) – French Foreign Minister claimed that the United States has taken the necessary steps to lift sanctions imposed against Islamic Republic of Iran and that Iran needed to respond with "appropriate positions." Speaking in an interview with The Guardian on Fri., French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, with the repetition of his unsubstantiated and unproven claims, said, “"We need to make immediate progresses because Iran has never been so close to a nuclear weapon after deviating from its commitments.” The Islamic Republic of Iran has always denied claims by Western countries about seeking nuclear weapons, but has asserted its right to access nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Le Drian added.

Although the US government has so far taken no action to change the "maximum pressure" policy of the former US administration, he continued to defend the positions of the current US administration under Biden.

French foreign minister went on to say that the United States is very determined to make progress - they have taken the necessary steps and signals to show their readiness to lift sanctions.

He claimed, “Presently, Iran has not taken appropriate actions on the breach of its obligations under JCPOA since 2019.

We are at a critical juncture because now it is the Iranians who have to take the necessary positions." The US President Joe Biden’s administration has said it intends to return his country to JCPOA which former US President Donald Trump withdrew from in May 2018, but has so far refused to take the necessary steps.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an article he recently published in “Foreign Affairs” Magazine, had announced the unconditionally return of US to JCPOA and lifting all sanctions ‘imposed’, ‘reimposed’ or ‘relabeled’ against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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