A deal to restore the pact limiting Iran's nuclear program is not imminent, but Washington is prepared to take "difficult decisions" to make it happen, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said Monday, according to AFP.
Price told journalists he could not discuss the specifics of the final remaining issues in the negotiations over restoring the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
"We are not in the practice of negotiating in public," Price said, adding, "We are prepared to make difficult decisions to return Iran's nuclear program to its JCPOA limits."
For the United States, he said the main issues remain Iran committing to verifiable limits on its nuclear activities, in return for an easing of punishing sanctions placed on the country.
"We're not going to respond to specific claims about what sanctions we may or may not be prepared to lift as part of a potential mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA," Price added.
He said the key US negotiator, Rob Malley, has not returned to Vienna to resume the most recent round of negotiations.
"I want to be clear that an agreement is neither imminent nor is it certain," stressed Price, adding, "In fact we are preparing equally for scenarios with and without a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA."
Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal it signed with world powers, in response to former US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018, but has held several rounds of indirect talks with the US on a return to the agreement.
Price’s comments follow recent indications that a deal between Iran and world powers could be reached within days.
Last week, however, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said that two issues remain with the US in paused negotiations to restore the 2015 deal.
"We had four issues as our red lines," but "two issues have almost been resolved," he said, adding that one of those two issues is “(an) economic guarantee". He did not elaborate on the second issue.
"If the American side fulfills our two remaining demands today, we will be ready to go to Vienna tomorrow," he stated.