Iran says nuclear deal within closest reach yet
The statements reflected fresh hope by Iran after Russia said its separate demands were being met by the United States.
"We have inched to an agreement closer than ever," Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his British counterpart Liz Truss in a phone conversation on the status of the talks over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal.
Amir-Abdollahian maintained that Iran is ready to sign a final deal if its "red lines" are minded. "What determines a good and lasting deal is America's realistic behavior by not presenting new and unfitting demands."
Seeking reentry into the nuclear deal after its 2018 withdrawal, the United States has engaged with Tehran through intermediaries in eight rounds of negotiations over a period of nearly a year.
The other parties — the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia — have by and large sought to work toward bridging the Tehran-Washington gaps. Last week, however, Russia poured sand in the gears with its last-minute demand that Ukraine-related sanctions not hamper its trade with the Islamic Republic.
