Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh described this policy as a failure and noted that Tehran responded to it with maximum resistance.

Returning to the multilateral deal requires a political decision to bring about a change in Washington’s course, instead of wasting time and energy in the Vienna, Austria, dialogue to save the JCPOA, he said.

The United States should return to its commitments with consent, the spokesperson specified, and stick to the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 2231 that protects the treaty, which Washington abandoned in May 2018.

There was progress in the talks in the Austrian capital, the official explained, as it focused on how Washington could rejoin the deal signed in 2015 between Iran and the 5+1 group (US, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China plus Germany).

Khatibzadeh noted that the JCPOA survives because of Iran, whose strategic patience made it possible in the face of US interest in destroying it.

The spokesperson reaffirmed that in case that the US lift the sanctions against Iran, Tehran is ready to stop its countermeasures after verifying their actual removal.

jg/omr/mem/arc