Washington expressed its hope that Tehran would receive a positive response to its offer to hold talks to resolve the Iranian nuclear program crisis, and warned of its impatience, at a time when the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that Iran had increased the rate of uranium enrichment in a further violation of the agreement concluded between it and the major powers in 2015 .

On Monday, the US State Department said that Washington had offered to negotiate with Iran within the framework of the 5 + 1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China) in accordance with the European plan, adding that it was hoping for a positive response.

She added that the patience of the United States is not limitless with regard to Iran, noting that it is consulting in this regard with Congress and its allies and partners.

And US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Iran is moving in the wrong direction and continues to take steps to make its nuclear program more dangerous.

Blinken added that the path to diplomacy is open regarding Iran's nuclear file, and that the ball is in its court.

The US statements come amid a stalemate, as Tehran and Washington insist that the other side initiate the first step to enter into talks that would lead to the reactivation of the nuclear agreement.

Tehran is required to sit at the negotiating table that Washington should initiate the easing of sanctions, while the administration of US President Joe Biden stresses that Iran should first return to full commitment to the nuclear agreement from which the administration of former US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, and Iran has reduced its obligations emanating from it, especially with regard to It is related to uranium enrichment, and the monitoring of its nuclear facilities by international inspectors.

Maximum pressure policy

In the context, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that his country had not received direct or indirect contacts from the United States regarding the nuclear agreement or other files.

Zadeh added that any meetings between Tehran and Washington are subject to a change in the US policy of maximum pressure.

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Monday, during his meeting in Tehran with his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney, as coordinator of the Security Council for the nuclear agreement, stressed the need to lift economic sanctions on Iran before discussing the issue of nuclear obligations, saying that this is his country's steadfast policy. It will not change.

Before that, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirmed the demand for sanctions to be lifted before entering any talks, stressing the need for Washington to abandon the policy of maximum pressure pursued by the Trump administration by imposing harsh sanctions on Iran.

Increase the fertilization rate

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency informed its member states on Monday that Iran had begun enriching uranium in a third series of centrifuges.

In a report obtained by Reuters, the agency said, "Iran has begun enriching uranium in a third series of advanced centrifuges, in the underground Natanz reactor, in another violation of the agreement concluded by the Islamic Republic with the major powers in 2015."

According to the statement, the agency confirmed on March 7 that Iran had begun pumping natural uranium hexafluoride into the third series, which includes 174 centrifuges.

The statement added that the fourth series, which also contains 174 centrifuges, has been installed, but has not yet been fed with natural uranium hexafluoride, and a fifth series is currently being installed.

And last December, Iran's Guardian Council approved a bill to speed up nuclear activities and restrict inspections of nuclear facilities.

The law requires the Iranian Atomic Energy Authority to start increasing uranium enrichment by at least 20%, and increasing its stockpile of low-enriched uranium.

Iran's withdrawal from the Additional Protocol would mean restricting inspections of the facilities by IAEA inspectors.