Iran says holding indirect nuclear talks with U.S. possible

TEHRAN, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday holding indirect talks with the United States through mediators on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal and the removal of sanctions against Iran is possible.

Kanaani made the remarks in a press conference in response to a question about whether the continuation of nuclear negotiations hinged on the successful exchange of prisoners between Iran and the U.S. and the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency.

Iran has always stressed its willingness to use negotiations and diplomacy to safeguard its rights and remove sanctions, Kanaani said, adding Iran always welcomes new initiatives to this end.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of the sanctions on the country. The U.S., however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the deal.

The negotiations for the revival of the JCPOA commenced in April 2021 in Austria's capital Vienna. Despite several rounds of talks, no significant breakthrough has been achieved since the end of the last round in August 2022.

Regarding the prisoner exchange with the U.S., Kanaani said he was optimistic that the prisoner swap would take place soon on the basis of the agreement reached indirectly between the two sides.

He also expressed hope that the release of Iranian assets would be completed in the next few days, allowing Iran to regain full access to its funds.