Moscow [Russia], April 21 (ANI/Sputnik): The United Kingdom wants to improve trade relations with Iran, an aide to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday, adding that this will be possible once the Iranian nuclear deal is revived.

On March 16, the UK paid back nearly 400 million pounds (about USD 521.2 million) owed to Iran for failing to deliver tanks as far back as the 1970s.

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Answering the question of whether this would lead to the UK normalizing economic ties with the country, the aide, who wished to remain anonymous, said that London is "seeking constructive relations" with Iran, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. According to the media, the aide noted that improving economic ties with Iran would be possible when a new nuclear deal is signed, which will ease sanctions pressure on the republic.

The previous nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was signed by Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States), Germany and the European Union in 2015. Then US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed new sanctions on Tehran, thus impeding trade with the country.

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In April 2021, the remaining parties to the agreement, along with the US, began negotiations to restore the nuclear agreement, working in Vienna. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced a pause in the Vienna talks "due to external factors" in March 2022. (ANI/Sputnik)

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