This week Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif walked back suggestions that the United States and Iran are close to talks. With Zarif's attendance at the G7 summit, many observers had anticipated the announcement of a meeting between Iranian and American officials. Rouhani had even publicly said he’d be willing to meet with anyone to solve the country’s economic problems. But in recent days both he and Zarif have stated that the United States must end the economic sanctions it reimposed after its exit from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year.

Despite the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord, Iranian officials are continuing to publicly defend the deal. Ali Akbar Salehi, who is currently head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization and was one of the chief technical negotiators who worked on the details of the deal, spoke directly to critics. “The JCPOA did not suspend Iran’s nuclear program,” Salehi said. “History will show this but right now there are many things we cannot say.”

Salehi said that the energy organization has increased its employees from 14,000 to 15,000, showing that the JCPOA did not force Iran to suspend its nuclear program, as some domestic critics contend. On the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, Salehi added that in “two or three months good news will be reported on this project.” He did not elaborate.

Iran is currently gradually reducing its commitments under the JCPOA in the hopes of pressuring Europe to help facilitate its oil sales, which the United States sanctioned after withdrawing from the JCPOA. Iran is expected to announce its third step in reducing nuclear commitments on Sept. 6.