TEHRAN – Iran said Monday it will only return to Vienna in order to finalize an agreement to revive its landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, with the last steps dependent on Washington.
Tehran has been engaged in long-running negotiations in the Austrian capital to revive the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
“We will not be going to Vienna for new negotiations but to finalize the agreement,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in Tehran.
However, Iran said there were still outstanding issues that it was waiting on Washington to settle.
“At the moment, we do not yet have a definitive answer from Washington,” Khatibzadeh said.
“If Washington answers the outstanding questions, we can go to Vienna as soon as possible.”
The Vienna talks aim to return the U.S. to the nuclear deal, including through the removal of sanctions on Iran.
Among the key sticking points is Tehran’s demand to remove from the U.S. terror list the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps. Washington recently confirmed that sanctions on the IRGC would stay.
Khatibzadeh reiterated that a deal to restore the 2015 nuclear deal is within reach “if America realizes and knows for sure that we will not cross our red lines and demand”. He said Tehran would “not wait forever” for the pact to be revived.
“What happens in Vienna talks stems from the U.S. approach which is trying to take the remaining issues hostage to its own domestic issues. Iran and Iranians can’t remain patient forever,” he added.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury announced measures targeting several entities it accused of involvement in procuring supplies for Iran’s ballistic missile program.
A day later, Khatibzadeh said Washington’s imposition of the fresh sanctions on the Islamic Republic showed its “ill will” towards Iran.
On Monday, Khatibzadeh leveled further criticism at the U.S.
“All of us should not forget that what we are facing today is not an administration that wants to perform its duties, but rather, one that seeks to exploit legal means in order not to honor its obligations,” he said.
“Today, in the final phase, the United States seeks to deprive Iran of the economic benefits of the agreement,” Khatibzadeh added.
The spokesman said the United States must accept the fact that it must enter negotiations on the basis of equal footing.