TEHRAN: According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, Iran's economic advantages have been a main focus in the indirect discussions between Tehran and Washington that have been taking place in Vienna for the past few months.

"The essence of the main conversations between us and the US is that the economic benefits for the Iranian people must be respected," Khatibzadeh said, the reports said. The sanctions prevented Iran from benefiting from the economic benefits of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), according to Khatibzadeh, who also stated that the entire chain of sanctions against Iran must be lifted as a result of the Vienna talks. He went on to say that Iran does not accept the US's so-called "red lines" in its anti-Iran sanctions.

On March 11, Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, declared a suspension in the talks, saying that "external forces necessitate a pause in Vienna talks." In July 2015, Iran and international powers concluded a nuclear deal. 

In May 2018, however, former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran.

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