Hawzah News Agency –Iran’s top negotiator at Vienna talks Ali Baqeri Kani said the ball is in the US court to terminate the sanctions on Ira, dismissing speculations that Tehran was considering an interim deal in the negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Middle East Eye published on Thursday, Ali Baqeri pointed out that Washington was the party that unilaterally walked away from the 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, which had been lifted by the deal.

“Therefore, now the ball is in the court of the Americans. The Americans must remove the sanctions,” he said.

Baqeri stated that Tehran is dead set on continuing the negotiations, underscoring the fact that he was accompanied by 40 top officials to support his assertion.

He also rejected the “JCPOA plus” suggestion, which would include broadening the nuclear deal to include other issues as well.

“The issue of the negotiations now is not related to Iran. It is related to the United States,” he said, arguing that US violation of the JCPOA, UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and international law put the onus on Washington.

Meanwhile, the top negotiator hailed what he called “fruitful discussions” with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi in Austria.

In a meeting in Vienna on Thursday, the Iranian deputy minister and the UN nuclear watchdog discussed future cooperation among other topics.

In a post in his Twitter account after the meeting, Baqeri said he had “fruitful discussions with Grossi aimed at continuation of technical cooperation between Iran and IAEA.”

He added that during the meeting, he “confirmed the resolute intention of Iran to actively and positively engage in the talks in Vienna.”

The “Agency has a positive technical role to play” in Vienna talks, the top Iranian negotiator added, Press TV reported.

Following the meeting, Baqeri told Iran’s official IRNA news agency that his talks with Grossi focused on future cooperation between Iran and the Agency.