The United States confirmed on Friday that it would attend a meeting in Austria next week on the Iran nuclear deal, saying it remains "open to" direct talks with Tehran.

"We have agreed to participate in talks with our European, Russian, and Chinese partners to identify the issues involved in a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) with Iran," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

"These remain early days, and we don't anticipate an immediate breakthrough as there will be difficult discussions ahead. But we believe this is a healthy step forward," he added.

He said that the primary issues to be discussed in the meeting scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Austria "are the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take in order to return to compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, and the sanctions relief steps that the United States would need to take in order to return to compliance as well."

"We do not anticipate presently that there will be direct talks between the United States and Iran through this process, though the United States remains open to them," he said.

The European Union said earlier in the day that parties to the Iran nuclear deal will convene in Vienna, Austria next week to discuss the possibility of lifting sanctions on Iran and the country's responsibility for further implementing the agreement.

Washington withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally named the JCPOA, in 2018 and tightened sanctions on Iran under former President Donald Trump. In response to the U.S. moves, Iran suspended the implementation of parts of its obligations under the deal.

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