Tehran, Jul 7 (IANS): A senior Iranian official announced on Sunday that the US can attend the new round of nuclear talks that Tehran and the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal plan to hold soon.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi urged Washington to lift banking and energy sanctions against Tehran before attending the talks, reports Xinhua news agnecy.
"There is no obstacle for the presence of US in the talks between Iran and P4+1 (Britain, China, France, Russian and Germany)," Araqchi said in a live TV broadcast.
However, it does not mean that Washington is part of the negotiations between Iran and the remaining parties to the nuclear deal, Araqchi said.
"In our eyes, the P5+1 no longer exists, and the US has already exited the Iranian nuclear deal, known internationally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)."
Araqchi, also a senior Iranian nuclear negotiator, said that "JCPOA is a done agreement, meaning that it is not negotiable".
However, the talks will be conducted on the mechanisms for its implementations, he added.
Iran has insistently urged the signatories to the deal to help Tehran cushion the economic impact of the US sanctions after the latter's unilateral exit from the deal last year.