Differences of opinion between Washington and Tehran on Iran nuclear deal

Despite six rounds of indirect talks since April in Vienna, Austria, there are serious differences of opinion in restoring the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Washington and Tehran, a senior US State Department official informed.

"We still have serious differences that have not been bridged, serious differences with Iran over a host of issues, whether it's the nuclear steps that Iran needs to take, the sanctions relief that the US would be offering or the sequence of steps that both sides will be taking," the official said on Thursday. "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," he added.

He further added the US team would attend the seventh round of talks "sometime in the not too distant future" and that a deal between the two parties is still possible. However, "This process is not going to be open forever," he cautioned. "We do have differences and if we can't bridge them in the foreseeable future, I think we're going to have to regroup and figure out how we move ahead."

Furthermore, the official noted that Ebrahim Raisi's appointment as Iran's next President would not affect the US's determination to reach a deal with Tehran. On Monday, Raisi had urged the US to lift all unjust sanctions against Iran and ruled out a meeting with US President Joe Biden.

In May 2018, the US government withdrew from JCPOA and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. Iran, on the other hand, gradually suspended parts of its commitments from May 2019.