Washington

The United States is prepared to lift sanctions imposed on Iran to resume mutual compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Wednesday.

"We are prepared to lift sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]," Price told reporters during a daily briefing, as reported by Sputnik. The spokesperson reiterated that there will be no unilateral gestures as the United States favors a "compliance for compliance" formula.

Price further said that The United States delegation met at the conference on reviving the Iran nuclear agreement in Vienna with their counterparts from Europe, Russia and China.

"The team on the ground in Vienna has had consultations with our European allies, with our Russian and Chinese partners. They, in turn, have met with the Iranian delegation," he said.

Sputnik reported that a US delegation is attending an in-person meeting by the JCPOA members in Vienna to discuss steps needed to fully restore the nuclear agreement.

The US representatives had meetings with counterparts from China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom, but are not expected to engage in direct talks with Iran's team.

In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with the P5+1 group of countries. The agreement required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and began imposing sanctions on Iran in violation of the nuclear agreement.