Now it's up to Iran to demonstrate its seriousness in Vienna

"I am not going to detail what our understanding is. As you might gather, much of this, some of this may be derived from elements that we typically don’t speak to in public. But of course, we do share information routinely with our Israeli partners. We have a common understanding across many fronts, and we share a common strategic interest and that is seeing to it that Iran is never able to acquire a nuclear weapon," said Ned Price regarding the Zionist regime war minister's claims that Iran is trying to complete the production and installation of 1,000 advanced IR-6 centrifuges. 

The US official further claimed, "So of course, our Israeli partners are not the only ones to have expressed concern about the progress that Iran’s nuclear program has been in a position to make since the previous administration left the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. We, too, have expressed our own profound concerns about the pace at which Iran’s nuclear program has been in a position to gallop forward since 2018. That is precisely why we are continuing to test whether we will be able to secure a mutual return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action because doing so remains profoundly in our interest."

Answering a question about the military option on the table if the Vienna talks stalled, he said, "We believe that diplomacy and dialogue affords an opportunity to sustainably and durably and permanently put an end to Iran’s ability to produce or otherwise acquire a nuclear weapon."

Elsewhere in his remarks, he pointed to Enrique Mora's visit to Tehran, he added, "Well, we don’t negotiate in public. What I will say is that we and our partners are ready."

He once again threw the ball into Iran’s court, saying, "We believe it is now up to Iran to demonstrate its seriousness. As you’ve heard from us before, there are a small number of outstanding issues. We believe these small number of outstanding issues pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program could be bridged and closed quite quickly and effectively if Iran were to make the decision to do so. We are grateful, as always, for Enrique Mora and his team’s efforts to – and we look forward to more detailed conversations with them in the days ahead."

"But, as you’ve heard from us before, at this point, a deal remains far from certain. Iran needs to decide, as I alluded to before, whether it insists on conditions that are extraneous to the JCPOA, or whether it is ready, willing, and able to conclude the JCPOA, a mutual return to compliance with it, quickly. We know that it would serve America’s national security interests; we believe that it, in turn, would serve all sides’ interests," Price said.

In response to a question that Iran also says the United States should decide now, he claimed, " There are a number of parties involved in this negotiation. I think if you talk to the parties, they will tell you that the United States has negotiated indirectly, in the case of Iran, earnestly, in good faith, seeking to arrive at a mutual return to compliance. And unfortunately, the same cannot always be said of the Iranian side."