Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Tehran will provide its “final conclusion” to the EU’s coordinator on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by midnight of 15 August.

“We have not offered our final conclusion to the opposite side yet. We will relay our final conclusion on the outstanding issues to the EU coordinator in writing by midnight today to see what feedback it will have and what reaction the US will show,” Amir-Abdollahian remarked.

Tehran’s top diplomat added that the US should approach the revised deal in a realistic and flexible manner, in order for the talks to proceed.

He reiterated that Washington seeks only to solve its own problems, while neglecting the harm caused by prolonged US sanctions on the people and economy of Iran.

After several months of no progress, four days of Vienna talks between representatives of Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA, have finally delivered a modified text onto the negotiating table.

As often happens, two or more sides differ on their perception of whether these developments are in fact promising.

While EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell claims the “final text” has been reached, Tehran stresses that many of their reservations have not been taken into consideration, despite Iran already providing a preliminary response to a EU draft proposal aiming to revive the JCPOA.

The negotiations to restore the deal have been ongoing since last year, and according to Borrell: “what can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text,” a characterization Iran refutes.

Tehran has for decades repeatedly denied all accusations that it plans to produce nuclear weapons, which the JCPOA was intended to prevent in exchange for sanctions relief.

Amir-Abdollahian says his country does not seek nuclear weapons: “Nuclear weapons have no place in the doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran and are contrary to our policies and beliefs.”

His claims are supported by decades of reports by global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which confirm that Iran has not diverted nuclear materials to a weapons program.

Despite the fact that Iran verifiably complied with the 2015 JCPOA agreement, the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal and imposed a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign under the administration of Donald Trump.

During the recent negotiations, Iran has voiced its determination to ensure the inclusion of more iron-clad terms that prevent future unilateral moves to scuttle the JCPOA.