Iran has rejected a European invitation to hold direct talks with the United States on the return of the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by former President Donald Trump in 2018.
The decision is a blow to the administration of president Joe Biden who says he will attend talks with Tehran under the auspices of the European Union (EU) in an effort to revive the agreement between several parties.
The agreement puts limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the release of sanctions against Tehran.
However, since Donald Trump brought Washington out of the deal, Tehran has no longer followed the rules and has imposed sanctions by Trump.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh considered this not the right time to hold this meeting. Tehran asked Washington to guarantee that it would remove sanctions against the country before agreeing to meet.
The White House, meanwhile, expressed disappointment over Iran's decision, saying it was ready to rejoin diplomacy to reach an agreement and abide by the agreement.
