"At least their parliaments or parliament speakers, including the US Congress, can declare in the form of a political statement their commitment to the agreement and return to the JCPOA implementation," Amirabdollahian told Financial Times.
He noted that Iranian citizens cannot trust the verbal statements of the US officials, given the case of the US unilaterally abandoning its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposing sanctions on Iran.
"As a matter of principle, public opinion in Iran cannot accept as a guarantee the words of a head of state, let alone the United States, due to the withdrawal of Americans from the JCPOA," Amirabdollahian noted.
The JCPOA was concluded by China, Germany, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Iran, as well as the European Union, in 2015, and provided for the easing of sanctions in exchange for Iran limiting its nuclear programme. In 2018, former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and reinstated sanctions against Tehran. In response, Iran announced a gradual reduction of its commitment under the deal, removing restrictions placed on nuclear research and uranium enrichment.
After taking office in January 2021, incumbent US President Joe Biden said he was seeking to revive the deal and renew US commitments under the JCPOA. The negotiations of all parties concerned were launched in Vienna in April 2021. During the seventh round of talks, completed on 17 December, the sides agreed on two drafts of a new deal that reflected Iran's interests. The eighth round began on 27 December and is expected to conclude soon.