TEHRAN – An advisor to the Iranian negotiating team in the nuclear talks has said that no deal will be implemented before the end of the UN nuclear watchdog’s allegations against Iran’s past nuclear activities. 

The advisor, Mohammad Marandi, who is a professor of American studies at the University of Tehran, made the remarks in reaction to a Reuters report citing a U.S. official as claiming that Iran has dropped one of its demands in the talks which is the removal of the IRGC from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations list.

Citing the U.S. official, Reuters said, “Iran has dropped some of its main demands on resurrecting a deal to rein in Tehran's nuclear program, including its insistence that international inspectors close some probes of its atomic program.”

Marandi rejected the Reuters report as “very misleading.”

“Very misleading. I’ve said for MONTHS, removing the Guards from the FTO is not a precondition,” he said on Twitter.

He added, “No deal will be implemented before the IAEA Board of Directors PERMANENTLY closes the false accusations file. Iran’s nuclear program will not be dismantled.”

 Mohammad Jamshidi, Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs to the Iranian President, provided a similar account. “Delisting the IRGC from the FTO was an American offer to the former Iranian administration to incentivize Iran to accept Regional & Missile negotiations. The US firmly believed that without it there will be no return to the agreement. The Raisi team rejected it,” he said on Twitter.

Jamshidi added, “US then said, removal from FTO in return for forgetting those responsible for the terror attack on General Soleimani. Iran said NO. They then offered 3 alternatives for the security of their personnel. Iran rejected them and the US backed off. So, who is Dropping their Demands?”