
He said that although both the US and Iran were open to talks – with Washington “in a much greater hurry” – progress depended on substantial concessions to narrow the divide between their public positions.
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Washington withdrew from the deal in 2018 under Donald Trump’s first presidential term, claiming the agreement failed to curb Iran’s missile programme and regional influence. Tehran began exceeding the limits on its nuclear programme a year later.
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“Before the conflict broke out, Iran explicitly stated that the nuclear issue was on the table, whereas their missile programme and regional proxy issues were not. Iran’s policy hasn’t changed – they are still willing to discuss the nuclear programme,” Niu said.

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