LONDON: Footage of US President Joe Biden declaring the Iran nuclear deal 鈥渄ead鈥� during a campaign event last month has been released, The Times reported on Wednesday.

In the video, supposedly filmed Nov. 4 ahead of the US midterm elections, Biden is stopped whilst walking past a crowd of supporters by an unidentified woman, who asks: 鈥淧resident Biden, can you please announce that JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) is dead? Can you just announce that?鈥�

The president tells her 鈥渘o鈥� before adding: 鈥淚t is dead, but we鈥檙e not gonna announce it. It鈥檚 a long story.鈥�

The woman, who appears to be Iranian and is with others who agree with her, then responds by saying: 鈥淲e just don鈥檛 want any deals with the mullahs. No deals 鈥� they don鈥檛 represent us.鈥�

John Kirby, the White House鈥檚 national security spokesman, refused to agree with the president鈥檚 phrasing on Tuesday, but told the media that Washington is not focused on a deal with Tehran at present.

鈥淭he Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is just not our focus,鈥� Kirby said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not on our agenda. We simply don鈥檛 see a deal coming together anytime soon while Iran continues to kill its own citizens and selling UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to Russia.鈥�

The JCPOA, which was meant to curb Iran鈥檚 nuclear ambitions, was originally agreed under the administration of former US President Barack Obama in 2015, when Biden was serving as vice president.

It was signed by the US, China, France, Russia, the UK, Germany and the EU, and eased sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran reducing its nuclear program.

Former President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA in 2018, calling it a 鈥渉orrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made.鈥�

Efforts to resurrect the JCPOA under Biden have proven difficult, amid intransigence from Iran, a lack of enthusiasm for the deal a second time around in Washington and other Western capitals, and the steadfast opposition of Israel.