Tehran, Nov 26 (IANS): A senior Iranian diplomat has urged the US to lift sanctions in an "effective and verifiable manner", as the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal are preparing to attend a meeting on the revival of the accord next week.

Mohammad Reza Ghaebi, the acting head of Iran's mission in Vienna, said that in order to end the current deadlock over the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the US government should "stop violating its obligations under the agreement without any delay and precondition", reports Xinhua news agency.

Making the remarks before the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ghaebi cited "the US violations of the agreement" and "the European countries' unwillingness to clearly condemn the .S illegal withdrawal from the JCPOA and the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran" as the root causes for the current impasse regarding the the historic agreement.

Referring to the upcoming Vienna nuclear meeting, he noted "it is important that the outcome of these efforts ensures that all sanctions will be lifted in an effective and verifiable manner".

It is "not reasonable" to expect more forbearance from Iran as long as the sanctions remain in place, he stressed.

The US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran.

In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal in May 2019.