US says only Tehran can determine next round of nuclear talks Ned Price says Washington will not impose deadline LONDON: The United States will not impose a deadline on a seventh round of talks with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, but only Tehran can determine when talks will resume, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Monday. “Questions about when or whether Iran would be prepared to start a seventh round or reach an understanding on a mutual return to the JCPOA, those can only be addressed by Tehran,” Price said, referring to an acronym for the Iran nuclear deal. “We’ve made very clear that we are prepared to return to a seventh round,” he said, adding: “We’re not imposing a deadline on these talks, but ... we are conscious that as time proceeds Iran’s nuclear advances will have a bearing on our view of ultimately returning to the JCPOA,” Price said. He also said that Washington continues to believe that “diplomacy is the most effective means at our disposal to achieve what we seek, and that is verifiably and permanently ensuring that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon.” Global powers have been in talks with Tehran since early April to revive the 2015 deal. Washington withdrew from the pact three years ago, and Iran has responded by gradually breaching its restrictions.