Still no response from US on Vienna draft: FM Spox

Addressing reporters at his weekly press conference, Kanaani said that the Vienna talks are still containing, so it would be better to avoid mentioning details and the next phase, which has not yet taken place.

In the latest round of talks in Vienna, the coordinator of the European Union made suggestions to other parties, including Iran, and the Islamic Republic responded to the proposal in due time based on its constructive and accountable approach, the spokesman noted.

So far, we have not received any response to the European suggestions from the other side, specifically the US, he said, adding that we would be able to speak about the fruitfulness of this round of talks whenever the European side announces that they have received the Americans' response, but this has not occurred yet.

He also urged correspondents to ignore unofficial narratives because the negotiations are very sensitive, so any comment and judgment on the Vienna talks should happen on the basis of the official viewpoints of negotiating countries.

We have had relatively good progress, but the talks are held to agree on all related issues; thus, until a consensus is not achieved, we cannot say that we have reached any agreement, Kanaani said.

Iran participated in several rounds of talks and answered the Europeans' suggestions, but the US is still hesitating to respond to the draft on the resumption of implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said, noting that Tehran has been always on-time and accountable in this respect.

We believe that the US administration is responsible for the current situation concerning the implementation of the JCPOA; however, if Washington shows political will and seriousness in practice, we can move forward to reach the next stage, the Iranian official argued.

As to the Iranian authorities' stance towards the nuclear deal, he noted that Iran's officials have time and again underscored that they would not tie the country's economy and people's livelihood to the nuclear negotiations and that they saw the talks as a foreign policy issue.

However, the US's hesitation in replying to the suggestions on the revival of the JCPOA and Europeans' inaction in complying with the deal will not hinder Iran from following up on its priorities, he said.

So, the Islamic Republic is seeking a good, powerful, and long-lasting agreement, which guarantees Iranians' interests and assures that the other sides will abide by their commitments under the nuclear accord, he emphasized.

Despite the fact that Tehran waits for the other parties' response on the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions, the Islamic Republic will pursue expansion of ties with neighboring states and other nations, especially in economic and trade interactions, the spokesman added.

On Saudi Arabia-Iran negotiations, he said that Tehran's relationship with Riyadh is based on mutual issues and does not have anything to do with the negotiations for lifting anti-Iran sanctions, adding that holding talks to resume official ties would be beneficial for both countries.

Referring to steps made by both Saudi Arabia and Iran to resolve problems, he expressed optimism in moving forward in this regard, noting that the situation in the region is pleasant and the relationships with neighboring states are improving.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanaani pointed to the fact that the Islamic Republic has been the biggest victim of terrorism and that the fight against terrorism has been very costly for the country.  

He further said that the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup is another document of the United States' illegal intervention in Iran's internal affairs.