TEHRAN - Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), stated on Thursday that the United States, not Iran, had imposed new terms on the JCPOA talks.

Eslami said that the U.S. is now signaling its desire for continuing negotiations in a variety of ways.

He asserted that it is unacceptable to conclude the negotiations while leaving fresh things open for putting pressure on the Iranian people and re-imposing sanctions on them.

The major difficulty in the JCPOA discussions is political and based on "the engine of maximum pressure," such that Americans are occasionally duped and fall into the trap of Zionists and fanatics, and these ups and downs are always theirs, according to Eslami.

In order for the negotiations to continue, he suggested, the opposite side had to stop hatching schemes, wreaking havoc, and imposing sanctions.

Eslami highlighted that the IAEA inspectors visit Iran on a regular basis and monitor all of the country's nuclear activities.

An IAEA delegation visited Tehran on December 19 and held talks Iranian officials at the AEOI.  The delegation was headed by Massimo Aparo, chief of Department of Safeguards and the IAEA deputy director.

The IAEA officials held talks with the chief of the Iranian Foreign Ministry Department for International, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the director for the Foreign Ministry Department for Arms Control and International Security.

The IAEA team also held talks with AEOI chief Eslami.

During the negotiations the sides exchanged views on safeguards issues, areas for cooperation and future joint plans, the AEOI said in a press release.

In his Thursday remarks, Eslami said Rafael Grossi, the IAEA director general, has also expressed willingness to visit Iran, which may be considered and organized after the January holidays.