Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Wednesday that Iran and world powers are closer than ever to reviving a 2015 nuclear deal.
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"If the US acts pragmatically, we are ready to have foreign ministers of countries belonging to the nuclear deal's joint commission gather in Vienna to finalize the agreement," Amir-Abdollahian said during a press conference in Damascus alongside his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad.
"We believe that today we are closer to an agreement in Vienna than ever before."
Following 11 months of negotiations, Iran and the US are now saying that the ball is in the other's court to revive the accord, which would curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting tough sanctions on Iran's economy.
The talks were close to agreement until Russia demanded guarantees from the US that sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine would not hurt its trade with Iran.
"We have given our latest proposals to the US through the European Union's coordinator to reach a final deal. We reminded the Americans that we will not cross our red lines," Amir-Abdollahian said on Wednesday.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, however, disagreed, telling reporters that the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA – is uncertain and not imminent.
Recent reports had said a new deal could soon be reached, but Price noted that the ball is now in Iran's court in terms of working out the conditions with world powers.
Discussions have been on hold since mid-March.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll said on the nation's Kan Radio: "Israel is committed to building a good partnership with anyone against the radical axis of Iran."
His comment came as leaders of Egypt, Israel and the United Arab Emirates met on Tuesday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
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