TEHRAN – Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, said on Tuesday that Iran is committed to reaching a good agreement, putting the onus for such a deal on the United States. 

Writing on Twitter, Kanaani said Iran is still a party to the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Iran has been & still remains a JCPOA member. The party that needs to prove ‘good faith’ & ‘seriousness’ to ‘re-enter’ the deal is the US,” he said, adding, “We remain committed to reaching a good, strong & lasting agreement that guarantees JCPOA-envisioned benefits for Iran. The onus is on the US.”

The tweet comes amid rising tensions between Iran and the West after the latest round of talks in Doha failed to bridge gaps between the two sides.

Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke over the phone on Saturday for two hours in which the nuclear issue featured high. 

Raisi condemned the non-constructive actions and positions of the United States and European countries, stating, “Issuing a resolution in the International Atomic Energy Agency was a crisis-making action aimed at creating pressure against the Iranian nation, which undermined political trust.”

The Iranian president, who also is the head of the Supreme National Security Council, emphasized, “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers reaching an agreement dependent on the full resolution of safeguards issues and the provision of necessary guarantees, including the continued valid adherence of the parties to the agreement and the provision of the economic interests of the Iranian nation.”

President Macron emphasized the continuation of his country's role in the process of reaching a conclusion in the nuclear negotiations.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani has briefed Iranian lawmakers on a range of issues pertaining to Iran’s foreign policy including the nuclear negotiations. 
On Sunday afternoon, he attended the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee where he outlined the Islamic Republic's regional and international policies and answered questions from MPs, according to the foreign ministry.

After the meeting, Abolfazl Amouei, the spokesman for the parliamentary committee, offered more details of the meeting. He said that the lawmakers sitting on the committee stressed the need for obtaining sufficient guarantees from the U.S. in the event of a return to the nuclear agreement.

Amouei said, “In another part of the meeting, Bagheri explained the process of nuclear negotiations, and that the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the 4+1 group of countries continues through Borrell and Mora, the foreign policy coordinators of the European Union, and that the issues are under discussion.”

He added, “In this meeting, the representatives emphasized obtaining sufficient guarantees from the American side in the event of a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”

The committee spokesman referred to the resolution and settlement of the guarantees issue that was emphasized in the meeting. He said, “The Iranian chief negotiator and the deputies present at the meeting stressed the pursuit of achieving the goal of economic benefit for the Iranian people from the potential agreement.”

The latest round of nuclear talks was held in Doha, Qatar, without any concrete results. Iran said the reason is the U.S. abstention from making the necessary political decisions required to conclude the talks. On the other hand, the U.S. leveled a similar accusation against Iran.