Tehran remains open to resuming negotiations with Washington on restoring their participation in a nuclear agreement, Iran’s acting foreign minister told Newsweek magazine in an interview published on Tuesday.

Ali Bagheri Kani’s remarks come as he prepares to address the United Nations Security Council in New York.

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The United States under then-president Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 from the nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers which restricted Tehran’s nuclear programmes.

Indirect talks between the US and Tehran to revive the deal have stalled. Iran is still part of the agreement but it has decreased its commitments due to US sanctions imposed on it.

Newsweek said: “On the foreign policy front, he (Bagheri Kani) said that Tehran remained open to resuming negotiations with Washington toward restoring mutual participation in a nuclear deal.”

However, Iran also intended to foster its deepening ties with China, Russia and neighbouring nations, it quoted him as saying. Iran will also call for greater action against Israel in view of the Gaza bombardment, he said.

The Biden administration said last week the United States was not ready to resume nuclear talks with Iran under its new president.

Bagheri Kani became the acting foreign minister after foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died in a helicopter crash along with Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi in May.

Iranians then elected Masoud Pezeshkian as president, a moderate who said he would promote a pragmatic foreign policy and ease tensions with the powers involved in the 2015 nuclear pact.