The US State Department said that only Iran can set the date for resuming the Vienna talks to revive the Iranian nuclear deal, adding that Washington is ready for the seventh round of these negotiations, while Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged President-elect Ibrahim Raisi and his government to complete the negotiations.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday that his country would not impose a deadline on a seventh round of talks with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, but only Tehran could set the date for the resumption of talks.

"We understand that Iran's nuclear progress over time will have an impact on our view of eventually returning to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the nuclear deal)," the spokesman added.

The Vienna talks began last April to revive the nuclear agreement between Iran and the major countries, and concluded last month the sixth round, but these rounds did not succeed in achieving their goal, due to Tehran and Washington stipulating some guarantees to agree to return to the agreement.

Statement of the representative of Russia

In a related context, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations, Mikhail Ulyanov, ruled out the resumption of the Vienna talks before the passage of 10 days.

In statements to the Russian newspaper "Kommersant", Ulyanov added that it may take more than that because the internal situation in Iran can influence the situation, referring to the election of a new president for Iran.


He explained that about 90% of the work related to the resumption of the nuclear agreement has been accomplished, with some subtleties related to the commitments of the United States remaining.

Ulyanov indicated that sanctions will be lifted on Iran - including those related to oil - by next month, as soon as an understanding is reached on resuming the agreement.

On the other hand, the Iranian Foreign Minister, in a periodic report submitted to the Shura Council (Parliament) on the nuclear deal, urged President-elect Ibrahim Raisi and his government to complete negotiations aimed at reviving the nuclear agreement.

Raisi, 60, who won the presidential elections weeks ago, has repeatedly criticized the agreement in recent years, and observers expect that it will not continue the nuclear policy pursued by outgoing President Hassan Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Zarif.

"I hope to complete what has been achieved so far - by fulfilling all the rights of the Iranian people - at the beginning of the work of the next government under the directives of His Eminence the Leader, the administration of the elected president, and the support of the Islamic Consultative Assembly," Fars quoted Zarif as saying in the report.

long-term interests

Zarif stressed that when it came to the nuclear deal, the new government should focus on long-term national interests and not ideology.

Zarif: The next government in Iran should deal with the nuclear deal out of long-term interests, not ideology (Reuters)

Raisi is scheduled to take over as a successor to President Rouhani on August 5.

In the same report, the Iranian Foreign Minister stated that reaching an agreement during the Vienna negotiations would lead to Tehran benefiting from the benefits of the nuclear agreement, explaining that any agreement reached by the negotiations would include the lifting of all sanctions imposed after Washington withdrew from the agreement in 2018, which imposes restrictions on the program. The Iranian nuclear program to ensure its peace in exchange for lifting international sanctions on Tehran

In a related context, the American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" reported, according to a US official, that the administration of President Joe Biden removed the name of the former CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, Ahmad Ghalbani from the sanctions list.

The newspaper added that Ghalbani had resigned in 2013 from his position in the state company, but now he works in two companies that also have a relationship with the Iranian government.

The newspaper quoted experts that Ghalbani's role in the two companies appears to violate US sanctions, and is expected to fuel concern among US lawmakers who criticize the administration's policy toward Iran, according to the newspaper.