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Iran's new President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said Monday he is not willing to meet President Joe Biden, AP reports.
The big picture: Raisi's election has come as nations are negotiating a potential return to the 2015 nuclear deal, and has placed "hard-liners firmly in control across the government," writes AP.
- The Biden administration had hoped to finalize an agreement before the new president takes office, with a U.S. official telling Axios, "If we don't have a deal before a new government is formed, I think that would raise serious questions about how achievable it's going to be."
- The U.S. has not been in the room in Vienna, where the talks are taking place, but have negotiated indirectly through EU intermediaries. The latest round of negotiations ended without a deal.
What's new: Iran's president-elect also indicated that he is not willing to negotiate over Tehran's ballistic missile program or Iran's support of regional militias, per AP.
Go deeper: Latest round of Iran nuclear talks end without deal