After nearly a month since the last round of indirect negotiations between Tehran and Washington to revive the Iran nuclear deal, hopes are fading that the countries can resolve their differences.

Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said at a press conference today when asked about the state of the negotiations that the policy of the Ebrahim Raisi administration is to not tie the country’s economic situation to the nuclear negotiations. He added, “Iran sees the negotiations as a serious and committed choice and will not leave the negotiations until there is a good, strong and durable agreement.”

Kanani added that Iran and the United States have both worked with High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to exchange messages in order to bring the two sides closer. Kanani said that signatories of the deal France and Italy — plus regional countries such as Oman, Iraq and Qatar — have also played a role in exchanging messages and attempted to reduce the differences in order to lead the two sides to a resolution. 

According to Kanani, Iran has been “flexible and constructive” in the current round of negotiations. He claimed that if the United States would show the same amount of flexibility and constructiveness, they could be close to an agreement. “Being close to or far from an agreement is up to the political decisions of the United States.”