In the ongoing Vienna talks, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh ruled out the possibility of a temporary pact between Tehran and the other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, commonly known as the JCPOA, because such a deal would not meet the Islamic Republic's objectives.

"We should all try to ensure that the US's return to the JCPOA is accompanied by the necessary guarantees and verification, and that the lifting of sanctions that should have been done under the JCPOA is done effectively," Khatibzadeh said, adding that none of these can be accomplished by a "interim" agreement.

Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Monday that "we are searching for a solid and dependable deal, and no agreement that does not contain these two components is on our agenda." He emphasised that the Vienna talks are only about ensuring the US's complete, accountable, and verifiable return to the JCPOA, and that Iran will not allow any topic being raised outside of the 2015 deal's framework in the talks.

"We negotiate neither pessimistically nor optimistically," he remarked of the progress of the talks in Vienna. We bargain based on fact." On January 8, Iran's main nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, stated that at the Vienna talks, disagreements over removing sanctions are diminishing.

After a nearly six-month delay, new rounds of nuclear discussions started on November 29, 2021, in Vienna, between officials of Iran and the P4+1 group, which includes the UK, China, France, Russia, and Germany, with the US indirectly partaking. The talks have been centred on the lifting of US sanctions against Iran and Washington's return to the dealer it left in 2018.

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