Iran warns US, Europe not to link nuclear talks to internal issues

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani warned on Monday the United States and Europe not to associate Iran's recent internal problems with the nuclear talks.

"We believe that the internal issues is related to the (Iranian) government and the people of Iran and we do not allow any other country to interfere in Iran's internal affairs," Kanaani said during his weekly press conference.

"The positions and views of Iran (on nuclear talks) have been expressed many times, and we are ready to proceed in the same direction and reach a comprehensive agreement that will meet the interests of all parties," he added.

The talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), 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.

On Aug 8, the EU put forward its final text of the draft decision on reviving the JCPOA. Iran and the United States later indirectly exchanged views on the EU proposal in a process that has so far failed to produce any favorable outcome.