Iran will continue the Vienna talks to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement after President-elect Ebrahim Raisi and his cabinet take office in August, Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Monday, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The spokesman for the ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said during an online press conference that Iran has announced its intention to continue the talks with its partners in the Joint Commission of the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran's policy will not change under the new administration, he stressed, adding that Iran will return to its commitments as soon as the United States returns to its obligations and Iran verifies it.
Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to former US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018, but has been holding indirect talks with the Biden administration on a return to the agreement.
Iran has insisted on a removal of all sanctions imposed on it, while the Biden administration has insisted that some will remain if they were imposed over other concerns, including human rights and Iran's support for extremist movements.
Khatibzadeh’s comments are in line with ones made by a diplomatic source last week. The source told Reuters that Iran is not prepared to resume negotiations on coming back into compliance with the 2015 deal until Raisi's administration has begun.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said last week that the United States will not impose a deadline on a seventh round of talks with Iran, adding that Tehran can determine when talks will resume.