Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein (not in this picture) during his visit to Baghdad, Iraq, Feb 22, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday expressed optimism regarding the ongoing negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and remove Western sanctions.

Making the remarks in a meeting attended by the country's diplomatic personnel, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian emphasized that "good" progress has been made toward the conclusion of the talks, according to Iranian Students' News Agency.

Iran is making diverse efforts to conclude the nuclear negotiations and will continue working to lift the sanctions through diplomatic means while adhering to the country's red lines, he said.

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Amir-Abdollahian criticized the US and some Western countries for using "cruel and unilateral" sanctions as leverage to extract concessions from other nations

He highlighted that there has been an indirect exchange of messages between Iran and other parties involved in the deal, and foreign ministers from certain countries are working to pave the way for the conclusion of the talks.

He also criticized the United States and some Western countries for using "cruel and unilateral" sanctions as leverage to extract concessions from other nations.

Amir-Abdollahian stressed Iran's focus on neutralizing these sanctions while maintaining diplomatic efforts and readiness for negotiations.

The nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by Iran and world powers in July 2015. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. However, the US withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting Iran to reduce its nuclear commitments.

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Talks for the revival of the JCPOA began in April 2021 in Vienna, but no breakthrough has been achieved since the latest round of negotiations in August 2022.