In this file photo taken on July 14, 2015, a staff worker removes the Iranian flag from the stage after a group picture with foreign ministers and representatives of the United States, Iran, China, Russia, Britain, Germany, France and the European Union during the Iran nuclear talks at Austria International Centre in Vienna. (AFP file photo)
TEHRAN, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian top diplomat said on Monday that the talks with the United States over a new nuclear agreement remains open if Washington changes its approach to the 2015 international nuclear deal, Press TV reported.
Iran would consider new diplomacy if there were "foundations for a fruitful dialogue" on the Iranian nuclear deal, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying.
However, the current U.S. "government does not believe in diplomacy. It believes in imposition," he added.
"It is mutual respect, not mutual trust that is a requirement to start negotiations," Zarif noted.
All U.S. sanctions against Iran which were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), returned on Monday, targeting many of Iran's critical sectors such as energy, shipping, shipbuilding and finance.
Earlier in the day, Zarif said the U.S. withdrawal from the multilateral JCPOA in May was a "scandal" for Washington.
"Today, we can see ... the JCPOA was so much in favor of Iran's interests that America withdrew from it scandalously," Zarif told Iran's parliament.
