TEHRAN – The spokesman for the Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee announced on Wednesday that Iran and its negotiating partners, particularly the U.S., are close to an agreement to restore the 2015 nuclear deal though the sides have not yet reached that stage.

“Still we have not reached an agreement though we are not far from it,” Abolfazl Amouie said.

He added, “If there is a serious will (by the American side) we will soon witness this event.”

Amouie made the remarks after a closed-door session of the parliament with Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) chief Mohammad Eslami and his deputy Behrouz Kamalvandi.

To get first-hand information, Amoui said, the parliamentarians held discussions with the officials mostly concerned with the nuclear talks.

The remarks by the parliamentary committee spokesman came after Iran submitted its response to the EU text to conclude the nuclear talks and revive the JCPOA.

Iran gave its response on Monday midnight. EU has announced that it has given Iran’s responses to the U.S.

Amoudi also said Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in regard to the Safeguards probe is being politicized.

“We have had the greatest cooperation with the agency so that 23 percent of the inspection costs of the agency are related to inspection of our country,” the MP said.

He added during IAEA director general’s visit to Iran late last year it was agreed that Iran provide answers about the remaining issues but ‘we noticed that this was not implemented as IAEA Board of Governors adopted a censure resolution (against Iran in June).”

He added, “(Iran’s) negotiating team is insisting that it is necessary to close safeguards issue for a durable (nuclear) deal.”