TEHRAN, February 2. /TASS/. Iran’s priority in any contacts with the United States is to have the unilateral sanctions against it lifted, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.

"In exchange for building trust on the nature of Iran’s nuclear program, we demand that the unjust sanctions imposed on the Iranian people over these years be lifted. <…> I stress that the issue of lifting the sanctions will be a key priority for us in any diplomatic contacts," he told a regular weekly briefing.

Commenting on the statements by Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani on progress to lay a groundwork for talks with the United States, Baghaei noted that various aspects are being discussed at the moment and Iran hopes to make a decision in the coming days.

Larijani said on January 31 that Iran and the United States are actively building a dialogue mechanism, despite the media hype surrounding the situation.