TEHRAN -- Iran said on Monday it will not be rushed into a “quick” deal reviving a faltering 2015 nuclear accord, as negotiations remain deadlocked.
“They demand that Iran makes a quick decision, (insisting that) time is limited and Iran must respond quickly,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said at his weekly news conference, referring to Western parties to the nuclear deal.
Kanani said the Islamic Republic will “not sacrifice the country’s fundamental interests... with a rushed process.”
It was being put under “psychological pressure and unilateral expectations,” he said.
But “if the U.S. acts constructively and positively, an agreement is close,” Kanani said.
The 2015 agreement gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear energy program.
But the U.S.’ unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and Washington’s reimposition of biting economic sanctions prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.
Talks in Vienna that started in April 2021 to restore the deal with the aim of removing sanctions on Iran have stalled since March amid differences between Tehran and Washington on several issues.
The two sides negotiated indirectly through the European Union coordinator.
Qatar hosted indirect talks last month between the United States and Iran in a bid to get the Vienna process back on track, but those discussions broke up after two days without any breakthrough.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday told his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi that reviving the landmark deal was “still possible” but must happen “as soon as possible.”
Kanani said Monday an agreement can be reached if the United States makes a political decision.
“We are definitely thinking about an agreement and we are interested in its conclusion in the near future. Nevertheless, we will definitely not act emotionally and that the finalization of the accord hinges upon a political decision by the United States,” he said.
The official reiterated that the Islamic Republic is serious about reaching a good, durable and strong agreement.
“We have demonstrated a great deal of flexibility. The Islamic Republic of Iran has so far presented various constructive initiatives; and we believe that we would be close to an agreement if the U.S., as the main side in determining the process of negotiations, acts constructively and with good faith like Iran,” he said.
“Getting either close to or far away from the agreement depends on the political decision of the U.S. government.”
At the end of the Doha talks late last month, Iran and the EU said they would keep in touch “about the continuation of the route and the next stage of the talks.”
The talks in Doha followed seven rounds of inconclusive negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna between Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA since April last year.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanani noted that there has been no change in the Islamic Republic’s practical and political stance on the Ukraine conflict.
He categorically dismissed recent Western media allegations in the wake of the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran, saying, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is opposed to military options against regional countries.”
“Iran believes that disputes and differences should be resolved through a political solution and that there is no change in Tehran’s political position toward Ukraine.
“We instead believe in the political solution, and we are not standing by one side to oppose the other,” Kanani underscored.
The spokesman also said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has expressed the kingdom’s willingness to hold official political negotiations with Iran.
Kanani said Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has contacted his Iranian counterpart Hussein Amir-Abdollahian after the recent summit that the Arab leaders and the US president held in Jeddah in mid-July.
Pointing to the “good and promising results” of five rounds of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia hosted by Iraq, Kanani said bin Salman had announced on the sidelines of the Jeddah summit that Riyadh was willing for official political negotiations with Iran in Iraq.
“The ground is prepared for us to hold the next meeting at the political and formal level. We also thank the Iraqi government for its positive role,” the spokesman added.