A senior US state department official said that the mutual return to the deal by both the US and Iran remains uncertain, adding that the seventh round of talks on the 2015 nuclear deal was “better than it might have been, but worse than it should have been.”

“Regardless of whatever progress was made, the pace at which we are moving” is not sufficient, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed.

Furthermore, the official said he was surprised by Iran's decision to request a pause in the nuclear talks in Vienna for consultations.

Still, the official said, again, that the US was ready to continue negotiations to reach a deal.

Earlier, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the talks were “not going well in the sense that we do not yet have a pathway back” into the JCPOA.

Bagheri Kani: The path Iran followed was a successful one 

Iran's lead negotiator in the Vienna Talks, Ali Bagheri Kani, considered that the path Iran followed during the negotiations was a successful one, noting that the negotiations during the previous days were focused on setting a framework for discussing the disputed points to speed up reaching an agreement.

In an interview for Al Mayadeen on Sunday, Bagheri Kani clarified that his country was able to achieve good progress, adding that this progress could quickly set up the ground for serious negotiations.

He explained how the harmonizing of Russian and Chinese stances with that of Iran as well as their divergence from the Western side is apparent on multiple levels, pointing out the difference between the British and European positions in general and stressing that "the opposite side has different priorities and visions."

Bagheri Kani further asserted that Iran came to the negotiations table willingly and was not compelled in any way, which should further push the other parties to deal with the negotiations in a logical and creative fashion.

The Iranian media spoke more than once about the Western attitude toward the negotiations, with representatives of the European Troika making great efforts to change the course of the negotiations in order to "score" concessions from China, Russia, Iran, and the European Union."

The seventh round of talks resumed on December 9. Iran constantly stated that it would not accept a new agreement and would not make any commitments beyond those stated in the 2015 deal.