The spokesman for Iran's foreign minister told reporters today there have been no talks between Iran and the United States on a return to the nuclear deal or any other issues.

During a press conference, Saeed Khatibzadeh was asked about Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in which he calls for a UN-facilitated conference with representatives from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India and the United States. Iran’s inclusion in the letter has led to speculation that envoys or foreign ministers from the United States and Iran could use these talks as a springboard to holding talks over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iranian nuclear deal.

The United States exited the JCPOA in 2018 and reapplied sanctions. Iran took multiple steps away from the JCPOA compliance but remained technically in the deal despite not deriving any economic benefit from doing so. Europe also remained in the deal, although it abided by US sanctions.

Khatibzadeh said, “We have not had any contact directly or indirectly with the United States about JCPOA or non-JCPOA issues.” In regard to Blinken’s letter, Khatibzadeh said Iran has not yet received any letters from the UN regarding the meeting, and they will review it once they receive it. Khatibzadeh said regional issues are important and significant on their own, and Iran would not view any regional multilateral talks as an opportunity or concession to discuss the JCPOA with the United States.