This file photo dated July 13, 2022, shows Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani holding a press conference in Tehran. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday the United States is still sending messages for the resumption of the talks on the revival of a 2015 nuclear agreement.
"Although the US officials have displayed reluctance to continue the nuclear talks and claimed that negotiations were not on their agenda, they are still sending messages" for the resumption of the diplomatic process to revive the agreement, Iranian Students' News Agency quoted Nasser Kanaani as saying at a weekly press conference.
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Iran maintains that the diplomatic process is the best approach to safeguard all sides' interests in the talks on the nuclear deal's revival, he noted.
"We express neither optimism nor pessimism and will remain realistic in this regard," Nasser Kanaani said, adding if the other side remains active and have the necessary political determination for reaching a nuclear agreement, it will receive a positive response from Tehran
"We express neither optimism nor pessimism and will remain realistic in this regard," he said, adding if the other side remains active and have the necessary political determination for reaching a nuclear agreement, it will receive a positive response from Tehran.
In case of the other side's inaction, Iran will pursue an "independent" approach based on its own decisions and policies, he added.
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According to Kanaani, messages are being exchanged between Iran and other sides in the negotiations, including the US government, through mediators, such as the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell or foreign ministers from friendly states who are in contact with both Tehran and Washington.
Turning to Europe's approach toward the resumption of the nuclear talks, Kanaani said Europeans were displaying a kind of inaction toward fulfilling their commitments within the nuclear deal's framework.
During the previous rounds of the nuclear negotiations, Europe had proved that it was acting under the influence of the US government's political approach and failed to play an independent role, he added.
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Iran signed the nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the sanctions on the country. The United States, however, pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed its sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA.
The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna. No breakthrough had been achieved after the latest round of talks in early August.