TEHRAN, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran's answer to the U.S. response to its viewpoints on the European Union's proposed final draft of a potential nuclear agreement was "constructive, clear and legal," semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
If the other side has the reciprocal determination, Iran's answer can prepare the ground for the conclusion of the negotiations on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal in a very short period, Nasser Kanaani, the ministry spokesman, told a weekly press conference.
The main objectives of the Iranian administration and negotiating team in the nuclear talks are the removal of the U.S. sanctions and safeguarding Iran's economic interests, he said.
The first priority for the Iranian negotiating team is to secure the other sides' guarantees of their continued commitment to the potential nuclear agreement, the spokesman added.
When asked about European states' energy needs ahead of the cold seasons and the likelihood of their demands for energy imports from Iran at the time of signing the potential nuclear agreement, Kanaani said if the nuclear negotiations bear fruit and Washington's unilateral sanctions on Tehran are lifted, Iran can meet most of Europe's demands.
On the possibility of trade transactions between Iran and the United States following the signing of a potential nuclear agreement, Kanaani said the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is not meant to regulate bilateral relations between the two countries.
The JCPOA is solely a solution to "the case of an unnecessary and artificial crisis" with regard to Iran's peaceful nuclear activities, he added.
The spokesman said Iran would keep pursuing its constructive approach in order to reach a "good and lasting" agreement, expressing hope that the other side would also adopt a constructive approach for the same purpose.
Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.
The talks on the JCPOA's revival began in April 2021 in Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of political differences between Tehran and Washington.
The latest round of the nuclear talks was held in the Austrian capital in early August after a five-month hiatus.
Iran and the United States are indirectly exchanging views about the EU proposals aimed at resolving the outstanding issues on the revival of the JCPOA. Washington said on Thursday that Tehran's latest response in negotiations to save the 2015 nuclear deal was "not constructive."
