The Iranian foreign ministry's Public Relations released a statement on Tuesday in response to rumors by a media outlet that Iranian authorities had granted negotiators permission to enter direct talks with the United States.
“This type of news sensationalism and media games, which is often used to create a political atmosphere, lacks credibility,” the statement said.
The United States in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and re-imposed harsh economic sanctions against the country.
Iran and the other signatories of the deal-- China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom— began a diplomatic push in 2021 to bring the US back into compliance with the accord and get it to remove its sanctions against Iran.
But negotiations have been stalled since last August, with Iran blaming the US for refusing to lift the sanctions and also provide a guarantee that it would not abandon the deal again.
The Iranian officials have for years ruled out the possibilty of direct talks with the United States, as the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.
4353**2050