Iran’s new hardline FM to make first official trip to US for nuclear deal talks

Iran’s new foreign minister will make his first official trip to the US on Monday where he will meet with his counterparts from countries which are part of the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal, but will not meet US officials.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tehran’s new hardline FM, will travel to New York for the UN General Assembly that begins Tuesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a press conference on Sunday.

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Amir-Abdollahian “will have separate and bilateral meetings” with the foreign ministers of UK, France, Germany, Russia and China. However, a meeting with US officials is “not on the agenda”, Khatibzadeh said.

Talks between Iran and the US to revive the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal have stalled under new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Experts also believe that Raisi is stacking his cabinet with hardliners to pressure the US into making concessions in the nuclear talks.

Iran appointed hardline senior diplomat Ali Bagheri Kani, a relative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as chief nuclear negotiator. Bagheri Kani replaced Abbas Araqchi who led the negotiations under former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

US Secretary of State Antony Blink said earlier in the month that time was running out for Iran to return to the nuclear deal.

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