By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI, Reuters – Iran said Monday that Washington must make a political decision regarding lifting sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Tehran had demanded their complete removal in order to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

After eight rounds of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington since April, differences remain about the speed and scope of lifting sanctions on Tehran, including Iran’s demand for a U.S. guarantee of no further punitive steps, and how and when to restore curbs on Iran’s atomic work.

Jan. 28 was the last day of talks. Top negotiators went back to their capitals and resumed negotiations. Robert Malley, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran, stated Sunday that he will soon be returning to Vienna and insist that the agreement could still be renewed.

Saeed Khatibzadeh from Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that Iran will not accept the lifting of sanctions if Iran reaps its benefits. This was according to a weekly conference.

“If the U.S. arrives in Vienna with a concrete agenda and a decision to lift the sanctions… it’s certain we can reach a quick deal.”

Khatibzadeh stated that Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s nuclear negotiator, would be returning to Vienna Tuesday.

The U.S. president Joe Biden’s administration reintroduced sanctions waivers to Iran on Friday in order to permit international nuclear cooperation projects. This comes as the last stretch of indirect American-Iranic talks about a 2015 international nuke agreement with Tehran.

Khatibzadeh stated that Washington had taken a decision which does not have an impact on Iran’s economic situation. This echos Hossein Amirabdollahian (Iran’s Foreign Minister), who described Sunday’s U.S. action as “good, but insufficient”.

Iran’s violations of nuclear limits have been gradual since Trump’s withdrawal in 2018 from the deal between Tehran and six other powers, and the imposition of crippling sanctions.

Iran demands that all Trump-era sanctions be removed immediately in a transparent process. Washington claimed it would lift any curbs that are inconsistent with 2015’s pact if Iran complied with it, which implied it would keep in place other sanctions such as those related to terrorism and human rights.

Khatibzadeh resisted Western officials’ warnings about the fact that there is not enough time to revive the Pact due to Tehran’s recent nuclear developments.

“We don’t accept any false deadlines… “This round may be the last round only if Iran’s other partners fulfill their commitments and give Iran guarantees,” he stated.