A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson indicated that nuclear negotiations in Vienna “have been businesslike… they are affording us a better understanding of Iran’s thinking, and we hope that in turn, Tehran will leave this round of talks with a better understanding of what we might be prepared to do”. He went on to highlight that “we are prepared to take the steps necessary to return to compliance with the JCPOA, including by lifting sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA”, while asserting: “We are not and will not offer any unilateral gestures or incentives to sweeten any sort of deal or to induce Iran back to the negotiating table or to a better position at that negotiating table”. The spokesperson also reiterated that “this administration is committed, working in many cases with our allies and partners, to holding Iran to account for… its human rights abuses, its support for terrorism, its ballistic missile program. When it comes to those areas, that is precisely why our strategy sees the mutual return to the JCPOA as necessary but insufficient, insufficient because we seek not only a longer and stronger deal, but over the longer term, working with partners in the region, follow-on agreements to address these very issues”.