The negotiations, which have been ongoing in Vienna since 2021, exclude the United States because the country unilaterally withdrew from the Iran deal in 2015.
Since US President Joe Biden took office last year, the United States has been indirectly negotiating with Iran, via the European parties to the deal as well as China and Russia, to rejoin.
“The Americans constantly talk of the necessity of directly talking to Iran,” Amir-Abollahian said on Sunday. “We have looked into the matter and concluded that we will not benefit from directly negotiating with America.”
“The Americans are yet to take action on the ground that would open a [new] horizon and have us say that they have taken some concrete action besides expressing goodwill,” he added.
The Iranian foreign minister said that to prove good faith in practice, the United States could go ahead and take palpable action, for instance by unblocking some of Iran’s assets.
He said President Biden could take such an action via an executive order
