Iran urges U.S. to show "good faith in practice" in Vienna talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (R) meets with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 23, 2021. (Xinhua)

"Good faith in practice, in our view, means something tangible happening on the ground, and the lifting of some of the sanctions could be considered as goodwill that the Americans are talking about," Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said in response to Washington's latest sanctions relief to Iran.

TEHRAN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Saturday that Iran has made it clear to the American side, through its intermediaries, that they must show their "good faith in action" in the Vienna nuclear negotiations.

"Good faith in practice, in our view, means something tangible happening on the ground, and the lifting of some of the sanctions could be considered as goodwill that the Americans are talking about," Amir Abdollahian said in response to Washington's latest sanctions relief to Iran.

What happens on paper is good, but not enough, he stressed.

Amir Abdollahian revealed that agreements on political and economic guarantees have been reached with the West in the nuclear talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

"One of our key points in lifting sanctions is to get guarantees. Regarding the guarantees in the economic and political fields, we have reached some agreements," he was quoted as saying by IRNA News Agency.

Earlier in the day, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, tweeted that "Iran's legal right to continue research and development and to maintain its peaceful nuclear capabilities and achievements, along with its security against supported evils, cannot be restricted by any agreement."

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh also said on Saturday that the U.S. sanction waiver on Iran is "insufficient" to the revival of the JCPOA, according to Jamaran news website.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on Nov. 1, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad Malek/Xinhua)

Iran is waiting for the United States to fulfill its duties and obligations regarding the lifting of sanctions, Khatibzadeh noted.

He urged the United States to lift all sanctions, including the nuclear ones, underlining his country's readiness to evaluate any action in the right direction of fulfilling JCPOA obligations.

The U.S. government on Friday restored the sanction waiver to Iran to allow international nuclear cooperation projects, while the Vienna talks, which were initiated about 10 months ago to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have now reached a crucial stage.