TEHRAN - Iran “will not back down” on its demands to reactivate the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and deputy foreign minister for political affairs has said in an exclusive interview with the official Italian news agency ANSA.

Ali Bagheri Kani said since it was the U.S. that quit the agreement in 2018, it is up to them to take the first step, ANSA reported on Saturday. 

Bagheri Kani also said the Iranian proposals are “documented and logical” and therefore can be used as a basis for negotiations.

According to the Guardian, Bagheri Kani has also said, “We are negotiating a comprehensive agreement. We are negotiating a comprehensive agreement that will pave the way for the return of a country that has left the agreement. We are seeking the lifting of unjust illegal U.S. sanctions.”

Iran and the remaining parties to the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, resumed talks on November 29 after a five-month hiatus. It was a continuation of the previous rounds of talks which started in April during the rule of Hassan Rouhani’s administration in Iran. The U.S. is involved in the talks indirectly.

The new round of talks ended on Friday. The chief negotiators returned to capitals for more consultations. 

The talks are being led by European Union political director Enrique Mora and Bagheri Kani.

According to Mora, the talks would reconvene in the current week.