Iranian officials are reporting little progress with negotiators representing the European sides to the nuclear deal, as the Sept. 6 deadline set by Tehran looms large. Iran has already warned that if the ongoing talks bear no fruit, it will suspend more commitments it has honored since 2015 under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

President Hassan Rouhani, whose government has been scrambling to salvage the accord after the United States abandoned it last May, said the new measures will be "extremely important." Addressing a Cabinet meeting in Tehran Sept. 4, Rouhani warned that the "third step" will see the Iranian nuclear program proceed with an "extraordinary accelerated" pace.

In the first two steps, the Islamic Republic dropped two key commitments in a phased process by augmenting its uranium stockpile and upgrading its restricted enrichment program beyond the limit imposed by the JCPOA.

As for talks with Europeans, Rouhani sounded pessimistic: "We are not yet at the final stage, and I don’t believe we will get there today or tomorrow." Still, he added without elaborating that progress has been achieved over some important issues.