Washington on Saturday stepped up its warnings against Iran, saying it would pay a price if it went ahead with its nuclear programme, but stressed that diplomacy remained a way to bring Iran back into the 2015 nuclear deal.

A US State Department official said that "if Iran does not show seriousness about returning to its commitments, we will adjust our policies," adding that "Iran is trying to obtain greater gains from the concessions made, and this is unacceptable."

"With the passage of time, we may come to the conclusion that Iran is not serious about returning to the agreement," the official told reporters, asking not to be named, noting that "the continuation of sanctions comes within the continuing pressure on Iran to return to the agreement."

The official explained that Washington, however, did not decide to close the door to the negotiations that resumed Monday in Vienna, and hopes that Tehran will soon return to these talks "with a willingness to negotiate seriously."

He pointed out that Iran had made demands regarding the lifting of sanctions that go beyond what was stated in the agreement, but considered that returning to the nuclear agreement is still possible and requires concessions from Tehran and Washington.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that "the path of diplomacy with Iran has become short," and that Tehran must decide in the coming days to return to the nuclear agreement, otherwise Washington will be forced to consider other options.

For its part, the White House said that Iran had started the new round of Vienna negotiations with "nuclear provocations", and that it had "failed to reach an understanding with the International Atomic Energy Agency to restore cooperation."

It is noteworthy that the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement between Tehran and major powers has collapsed since the unilateral withdrawal of the United States in 2018 and the re-imposition of sanctions, which prompted Tehran to respond by repudiating most of its commitments.


Disappointing

Earlier on Saturday, European countries rejected Iran's proposals to return to the nuclear agreement and considered them disappointing, at a time when Tehran stressed that these proposals are based on common principles between the two sides.

On Friday, the Europeans expressed their "disappointment and concern" over the content of two recent drafts submitted by Iran regarding the revival of the nuclear agreement signed by Iran and international parties in 2015, from which the United States withdrew in 2018.

The talks were launched recently in Vienna under the chairmanship of Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General and Political Director of the External Relations Department of the European Union.

It was attended by high-level representatives from Russia, China, Germany, France, England and Iran, and was suspended until next week due to the two parties' inability to reach an agreement.

The United States, which Iran refuses to meet directly, participated in the negotiations.

Negotiations focus on placing restrictions on Iran's nuclear program again, and lifting US sanctions imposed on Iran;

The goal is to revive the 2015 nuclear deal aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.