Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States' "excessive demands" are the holdup when it comes to negotiations over the country's nuclear program.
Araghchi spoke to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, The Hill reported, citing the Iranian Students' News Agency.
To make a deal "requires seriousness and realism on the part of the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands," Araghchi said.
"[Talks] concluded with the mutual understanding that we will continue to engage in a more detailed manner on matters that are essential to any deal — including sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps."
Iran and the United States held hours of indirect negotiations Thursday over Tehran's nuclear program but walked away without a deal, leaving the danger of another Middle East war on the table as the U.S. has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the region.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been "significant progress in the negotiation" without elaborating.
Just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported that Tehran was determined to continue enriching uranium, was rejecting proposals to transfer it abroad, and was seeking the lifting of international sanctions, indicating it was not prepared to meet President Donald Trump's demands.
Trump said Friday he was "not happy" with the way the Iran talks were going but that he would "see what happens" after additional talks.
Speaking to reporters before a trip to Texas, Trump said he wants to make a deal with Iran but reiterated that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
"I'm not happy with the fact that they're not willing to give us what we have to have," he said. "I'm not thrilled with that.
"We'll see what happens. We're talking later."
Talks will continue next week in Vienna, the home of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Sam Barron ✉
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