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Added on the 20/09/2017 17:21:10 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
The White House denies that the unfreezing of $6 billion of Iranian funds to help secure the release of five US citizens was effectively a ransom payment. "This is not a payment of any kind. It's not ransom," says White House national security spokesman John Kirby, pushing back against criticism of the deal. SOUNDBITE
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that the United States will offer no sanctions relief to Iran under a draft deal that would free five Americans. "In any event, in any respect, Iran will not be receiving any sanctions relief," Blinken tells reporters when asked about the expected release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds. SOUNDBITE
The EU's foreign policy chief says he is hopeful the Iran nuclear deal could be revived after receiving "reasonable" responses to his proposed text from Iran and the United States. "I am hoping that in the coming days we are not going to lose this momentum and we can close the deal" says Josep Borrell, at an informal meeing of EU foreign ministers in Prague. SOUNDBITE
The EU says "everybody is studying the response and this is not the time, for the moment, to speculate on timing", as it mulls Iran's reponse to a "final" draft agreement on reviving a 2015 nuclear accord with major powers it presented at talks in Vienna. SOUNDBITE
The United States says that it is now up to Iran to make hard decisions in order to restore the 2015 deal on limiting its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. After nearly a year of negotiations, "the onus is on Tehran to make decisions that it might consider difficult," State Department spokesperson Ned Price tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
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