Tehran, May 22 (IANS): Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country is serious about reaching a strong and lasting agreement in the Vienna talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, noting that Tehran has the goodwill and required determination to this end.

Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone conversation with the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Xinhua news agency quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying.

Commenting on an earlier visit to Tehran by Borrell's deputy, Enrique Mora, the Iranian Foreign Minister said during the trip some initiatives were discussed between the two sides.

Amir-Abdollahian also praised the constructive efforts by Borrell and Mora to resolve the nuclear issue.

Highlighting Iran's proposed initiatives during the diplomatic process in Vienna, Borrell said: "We are currently on the new path of continuing the negotiations and focusing on the solutions."

Borrell expressed optimism about reaching a good result.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015 accepting to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the sanctions on Tehran.

However, former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting Iran to reduce some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement in retaliation.

Since April 2021, several rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties to revive the deal.

Iran insists on obtaining guarantees that the succeeding US governments would not drop the deal again and calls for lifting the sanctions in a verifiable manner.