Iraq's foreign minister said on a visit to Tehran Thursday that the time has come for the Islamic republic and the United States to negotiate directly on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

US-Iran relations have been severed since April 1980, just months after the fall of the shah and the occupation of the American embassy by Islamist students loyal to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

They worsened significantly after US president Donald Trump's 2018 decision to unilaterally withdraw from the nuclear deal and impose sanctions on Tehran.

Negotiations resumed in November after a five-month hiatus to try to restore the deal, which gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear activities.

Diplomats from the remaining parties to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- are in talks in Vienna with Iran and the US, with the two sides refusing direct contact.

"We call for, and this is no secret, direct negotiations between the two parties," Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a joint press conference.

"Iraq's interest is in helping the two parties to sit round a table and talk," he said.

"We have proposed this to the Americans and have made this proposal (to Iran) and even before our visit to Tehran.

"It is better that a direct meeting take place between the American party and the Iranian party," Hussein said.

He said Iraq felt there was a "problem" with the negotiating mechanism at the Vienna talks.

"The negotiations with the American side are indirect, through the European envoy," he said.

"We think the time has come for direct talks between Washington and Tehran to reach common understandings not just on the nuclear issue, but also on sanctions.

"We need direct contact between the two parties and we are working towards that," Hussein said.

Iraq is Iran's neighbour, and Hussein said US-Iran relations "are not an external matter for Iraq, but an internal one".

He said tensions between the long-time foes impacts directly on the political and security situation in Iraq, and that detente between the two would have a positive effect.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian outlined the way contacts currently take place.

"The Americans send unwritten messages to meetings and receive responses" indirectly from Iran, he said.

"As for the Islamic republic, we seriously declare that we want to reach a good agreement and we hope the other parties also come and negotiate with the same seriousness and the same goodwill," Amir-Abdollahian said.

The Vienna talks are set to resume on Monday after a 10-day break.

On Thursday, EU diplomat Enrique Mora, who is chairing the negotiations, said he hoped for speedy progress.

"Important to pick up the pace on key outstanding issues and move forward, working closely with the US. Welcome to the 8th round," Mora said in Vienna.

Iran nuclear talks to resume next week: EU chair
Vienna (AFP) Dec 23, 2021 - Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume next Monday, the EU diplomat chairing the negotiations said on Thursday, urging a "picking up of the pace".

Officials have said the deal would become obsolete within weeks if Iran continued to step up its nuclear activities as it has been doing since 2019, a year after the United States left the landmark agreement and reimposed sanctions.

"Vienna talks to resume on Monday 27 December. The JCPOA Joint Commission will meet to discuss and define the way ahead," EU diplomat Enrique Mora wrote on Twitter, referring to the acronym of the deal's formal name.

"Important to pick up the pace on key outstanding issues and move forward, working closely with the US. Welcome to the 8th round."

Negotiations restarted in November after a five-month hiatus to try to restore the deal, which was to offer Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Diplomats from parties to the deal -- China, Britain, France, Germany and Russia -- are in talks in Vienna with Iran and the US, with the two sides refusing direct contact.

US negotiator Rob Malley on Tuesday warned of a "period of escalating crisis" if diplomacy failed to restore the agreement.

Iran claims it only wants to develop a civilian nuclear capability, but Western powers say its stockpile of enriched uranium goes well beyond that and could be used to develop a nuclear weapon.

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Israel PM meets US national security adviser on Iran
Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 22, 2021
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Wednesday with Israel's prime minister amid the Jewish state's opposition to efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, before visiting the Palestinian leader for talks. "The US and Israeli delegations held detailed consultations on Iran, with Mr. Sullivan underscoring the US administration's determination to confront all aspects of the threat Iran poses to regional and international peace and security," National Security Council Spokesperson Emily H ... read more