US says it is willing to sit down for talks with Iran and other nations on nuclear deal

In a significant move to jumpstart diplomacy, the Biden administration said Thursday that the US is willing to sit down for talks with Tehran and other signatories to the Iran nuclear deal, before either side has taken any tangible action to salvage or return to compliance with the agreement, reports CNN.

"The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement Thursday. The P5+1 refers to the permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – and Germany.

It is a move to the lay the groundwork for diplomacy that could eventually break the ongoing impasse between Washington and Tehran, both of whom have insisted the other must act first. The US officials were careful to stress that their willingness to sit down with partners and Iran wasn't a concession or even the beginning of nuclear talks, but instead, was simply the first diplomatic step to figure out how to begin discussing issues of substance.

"Until we sit down and talk, nothing's going to happen. It doesn't mean that when we sit down and talk we're going to succeed, but we do know that if we don't take that step, the situation is just going to go from bad to worse," the first senior State Department official said. "It's a meaningful step, but we recognize it's just one of many that will have to be taken from all sides."

Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general for political affairs of European External Action Service, said on Twiiter that the Iran nuclear deal, which the US abandoned during the Trump administration, was at a critical moment.

"Intense talks with all participants and the US. I am ready to invite them to an informal meeting to discuss the way forward," – he said.

It is unclear if the Iranians would accept such an overture, the official told reporters Thursday, nor has a meeting been scheduled.

It was one of several efforts the administration unveiled Thursday in an effort to lay the groundwork for diplomacy.

CNN reported earlier Thursday that the Biden administration might send a signal that they were prepared to re-enter into a serious process with Iran and members of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name for the Iran nuclear deal, but at that point the details were still being worked out.