TEHRAN - Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, says the U.S. should lift all sanctions illegally imposed on Iran to prove it is honest and serious about returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, according to Fars news agency.

“If the U.S. is serious about returning to the Iran nuclear deal it should put an end to all the sanctions,” Araqchi said on Sunday in a meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy for Iraq and Syria Hilde Haraldstad.

The two sides also discussed the latest developments in Syria and Iraq and ways to confront sources of instability and insecurity in the region, especially ISIS.

Haraldstad, for her part, stressed Norway’s inclination to continue political consultations on regional issues.

Previously, Araqchi had warned any attempt to passing a resolution against Iran in the UN nuclear agency’s Board of Governors would be unconstructive and threaten the atmosphere for diplomacy, specifically after a recent agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.