US ready to return to Vienna for talks on nuclear deal

The US stands ready to return to Vienna for talks to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program and calls on the Islamic Republic to do the same, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a regular briefing on August 5, Report informs referring to the US Department of State website.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to weigh in on the messages that the new Iranian president may or may not be sending. What I can say is that our message to President Raisi is the same as our message to his predecessors, and that is very simple: The US will defend and advance our national security interests and those of our partners. We hope that Iran seizes the opportunity now to advance diplomatic solutions and the diplomatic solutions that are before all of us,” he said. “We are waiting to see, as I’ve said before, the approach that the new government in Iran will take. And we will in turn respond in consultation with our partners. For our part, we’ve made very clear that we are prepared to return to Vienna to resume negotiations. We are prepared to do that for one simple reason, and that goes back to the message – our message to President Raisi: Doing so is in our national security interests. It is in our national security interests and in the national security interests of our allies and our partners the world over to once again permanently and verifiably ensure that Iran is not able to acquire a nuclear weapon. We urge Iran to return to the negotiations soon so that we can seek to conclude our work. We’ve heard what the new Iranian president has had to say on that score,” Price stressed.

“But at the same time – and the Secretary has said this message, you’ve heard it from here as well – this process cannot go on indefinitely. The opportunity to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA won’t last forever,” he added.