Blinken sidesteps question on U.S. return to Iran nuclear talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appears on a screen while addressing the United Nations General Assembly during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York City, New York, U.S., August 1, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday it remains to be seen whether Tehran is willing to move forward on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and he sidestepped a question on whether Washington was prepared to return to talks on the issue.

"The EU has put forward a best proposal based on many many months of discussions, negotiations, conversations. It's very consistent with something that they put forward in March that we agreed to - that we would pursue in March," he told reporters when asked if Washington was ready to resume talks.

"It remains to be seen whether Iran is willing and able to move forward. So, we remain prepared to move forward on the basis of what's been agreed. It's still unclear whether Iran is prepared to do that."

(Reporting By Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Arshad Mohammed in Saint Paul, Minn.; Writing by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Chris Reese)