The United States is prepared to remove sanctions on Iran to return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, including those sanctions that are inconsistent with the 2015 agreement, reported Reuters quoting the US State Department.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Wednesday, “We are prepared to take the steps necessary to return to compliance with the JCPOA, including by lifting sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA. I am not in a position here to give you chapter and verse on what those might be.” He was referring to the pact formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said that talks in Vienna on rescuing a troubled 2015 nuclear deal had opened a “new chapter”.

This comes after an Iranian delegation on Wednesday met representatives of the remaining parties to the pact to discuss how to bring the US back into it and end crippling US sanctions and Iranian countermeasures.

The United States was not present in the meeting because Iran has refused to meet the US delegation so long as its sanctions remain in place.

Instead, the European Union acted as an intermediary, but all sides gave a positive assessment of the opening talks.

Also read: US, Japan, South Korea share ‘concerns’ about North Korea’s nuclear programme

The in-person meeting was called by the European Union.

The deal was signed by Iran in 2015 with the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. According to the deal, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for global powers lifting economic sanctions on Tehran.

In 2018, US former President Donald Trump, officially opted out of the deal, a move not taken well by Iran which in turn refused to comply with the deal any further.