WASHINGTON, October 13. /TASS/. The United States remains ready to send its delegation to the Vienna talks about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program, but the time is limited, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.
"We, of course, keep our partners abreast of our efforts to pursue a diplomatic path forward as it relates to the P5+1 talks with Iran," she said. "That continues to be our preferred path, our preferred choice. We believe diplomacy should always be the first option."
"And I think you may have all seen the Secretary of State convey this weekend that time is not unlimited, and that remains the case. But we continue to pursue those negotiations. Our team remains prepared to return for another round of discussions, but I don’t have an update on when those might occur," the press secretary added.
Negotiations have been underway in Vienna since April by Iran and the international quintet (Russia, Britain, Germany, China and France) on restoring the Iranian nuclear deal to its original form. The sides have been discussing the issue of canceling US sanctions against Iran, Tehran's compliance with its commitments in the nuclear sphere and the United States' return to the JCPOA.
Representatives from the countries that are parties to the agreement have also been holding separate consultations with US emissaries without Iran’s participation. Originally the delegates had hoped to be through with this work by the end of May, and then at the beginning of June. On September 21, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the talks on restoring the nuclear deal to the full extent would begin in Vienna within a few weeks.