U.S. sanctions should be lifted to assure foreign investment in Iran: security official

TEHRAN, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The "oppressive" U.S. sanctions against Iran should be lifted in such a way that all countries can easily invest in Iran while maintaining their long-term interests, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said Wednesday.

Shamkhani made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Iran's Nour News affiliated with SNSC reported.

Iran will be committed to diplomacy until the realization of its legal rights in nuclear talks, he was quoted as saying.

Al Thani's visit to Tehran followed the recent indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Doha over their differences on reviving the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

The Iranian nuclear talks began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington.