In an interview with Japan’s NHK on the sidelines of the latest round of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Araqchi said the biggest obstacle in the course of efforts to revive the JCPOA is Washington's desire to maintain sanctions.
He also said the US must lift all sanctions imposed under Trump, not only those related to the nuclear deal.
“Our position is actually that if the US is interested to come back to the JCPOA, they should not only lift all JCPOA-related sanctions, but also all sanctions imposed or re-imposed or re-labeled during Trump administration,” the Iranian diplomat stressed.
Araqchi also noted that the best outcome would be a conclusion within five or six weeks, citing Iran's willingness to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect nuclear facilities to some extent until late May.
The JCPOA Joint Commission held a four-day round of talks in the Austrian city of Vienna, with representatives of Iran, Russia, China, France and the UK in attendance.
The US has been absent from the Commission and its discussions since 2018, when former American president Donald Trump took Washington out of the JCPOA and returned the sanctions that the nuclear accord had lifted.