Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said that Tehran is not ready to offer "new concessions" to Washington in the Vienna negotiations on reviving the nuclear deal.
His remarks came today, Tuesday, a few hours before the holding of a new round of negotiations in Vienna at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the countries concerned with the nuclear agreement, according to what was reported by the Al-Jazeera correspondent.
The Iranian spokesman said in a press conference that it is too early to talk about the results of the Vienna negotiations, "but we are on the right track."
"We are not in a hurry and we are not ready to offer new concessions outside the framework of the nuclear deal," he added.
At the same time, Rabiei expressed Iran's welcome to "Washington's decision to negotiate with the 4 + 1 group (China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany) to return to the nuclear agreement."
He pointed out that Iran’s embarking on enriching uranium by 60% came in response to the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility, and said that Tehran would backtrack on this step if the nuclear agreement was fully implemented.
Meanwhile, the working groups in the Vienna negotiations are preparing to discuss the technical issues related to the US sanctions that could be lifted and the corresponding Iranian steps to return to full compliance with the nuclear agreement.
No temporary agreement
On this track, the chief Iranian negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, the political assistant to the Foreign Minister, said on Monday that there is no negotiation on an interim agreement in Vienna, and that what is published in this area is incorrect.
He added that what is being negotiated is the final step for lifting all US sanctions, stressing that Iran does not support "an urgent and ill-considered result," and that it totally rejects "the principle of step by step."
Araghchi indicated that the final decision will be taken in Tehran, and that officials there are aware of the details of what is happening in Vienna.
On Monday, Reuters quoted Iranian officials as saying that Tehran and world powers had made some progress towards reviving the nuclear deal, and that concluding an interim agreement could help buy time to reach a permanent settlement.
The previous US administration withdrew in 2018 from the nuclear agreement concluded in 2015 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran as part of the "maximum pressure" campaign, and Tehran, in return, took a series of steps to reduce its obligations in the agreement.