TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian asserts that fresh messages have been exchanged between Tehran and Washington in an effort to further align their positions on the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions.

Amir Abdollahian revealed the information in a phone conversation on Sunday night with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

The top Iranian diplomat said that during his stay in New York for the 77th United Nations General Assembly summit, the messages were exchanged through a mediator.

Tehran, according to Amir Abdollahian, is sincerely trying to negotiate a solid, long-lasting deal.

He said that his recent visit to New York gave him the chance to bring the perspectives of the two parties (Iran and the U.S.) closer together and that Iran thinks the current state of the negotiations is positive.

The top Iranian diplomat went on to say as Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami attended the 66th annual regular session of the IAEA General Conference of Vienna, similarly “the roadmap for further cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran was also developed."

For his part, the Qatari foreign minister said U.S. officials think that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - the official name of the 2015 nuclear agreement - may be revived through exchange of messages and coordinated efforts by the European Union.

In May 2018, the JCPOA was abrogated by the previous administration of Donald Trump, and the agreement's loosened unilateral sanctions were reinstituted.

Months after Biden succeeded Trump, the talks to save the deal began in Vienna in April of last year with the goal of determining how serious Washington was about rejoining the pact and lifting sanctions against Iran.

Despite significant advancement, the lengthy negotiations were often interrupted by the U.S.'s indecision and delay.