TEHRAN — A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament has said that good steps have been taken in regards to removal of illegal sanctions on Iran, Fars reported on Sunday.

Fada Hossein Maleki said that the Vienna talks are underway in the two areas: lifting sanctions and nuclear steps.

“In the areas of sanctions, very good steps have been taken and the other side has accepted that there is a determination in the new (Iranian) government that all sanctions should be lifted,” Maleki stated.

The MP added that the negotiations on the nuclear steps are difficult because the other side is seeking excessive demands about Iran's nuclear program. 

However, he said, Iran will not back down from its rightful position and this has made the pace of negotiations a little bit slow.

After Donald Trump quit the nuclear deal in May 2018 and imposed the harshest sanctions on Iran, the Supreme National Security Council of Iran announced in May 2019 that Tehran’s strategic patience is over and ordered a gradual removal of bans on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. The move was in accordance to paragraph 36 of the JCPOA which has provided a mechanism to resolve disputes and allows one side, under certain circumstances, to stop complying with the deal if the other side is out of compliance.

Maleki added that setting a time for the conclusion of the talks is a “forward escape” for the other side, which can both be used for domestic purposes and putting pressure on Iran. 

“Setting deadlines will have no effect on Iran's position,” he reiterated. 

On the United States’ military threats against Iran, Maleki, a former diplomat, said Iran considers military option as a political bluff.

“The military option has domestic purposes for the U.S., because this issue will never be operational, as Iran also has a lot of options on the table,” he concluded.