Shamkhani: Iran-U.S. talks method would change if good deal reachable

“So far, contact with the U.S. delegation in Vienna has been through informal exchanges of texts, and there has been no need for more. This communication method can only be replaced by other methods when a good agreement is available,” Shamkhani wrote in a twitter post.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian dismissed reports of direct talks between the United States and Iran in the Austrian capital where Tehran and the P4+1 are trying to find a way to revive the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“However, if we get to a stage where reaching a good deal with strong guarantees necessitates direct talks with the U.S., we will consider it,” Amir Abdollahian added.

The two sides have held eight rounds of talks over the past year. Iran refuses to sit down directly with American diplomats, meaning negotiators from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia must shuttle between Iranian and American diplomats.

Iran insists that America must remove all sanctions imposed on Tehran after former U.S. president Donald Trump abandoned the deal in May 2018. It also says Washington must provide guarantees that it will not leave the deal again.