Iran nuclear deal talks have 'hit a wall': US State Department

Efforts to revive the US-Iran nuclear deal have reached a dead end, according to a senior US State Department official speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Friday .

Efforts to breathe new life into the troubled deal have hit the buffers several times in recent weeks, as both sides have placed responsibility for finding compromise with the other party. 

"In a nutshell, we’ve hit a wall because of Iran’s position,” said the official, whose name was redacted on the State Department website.

On Thursday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that he saw no future for the deal without guarantees that the US would not renege again - and confirmation that the UN would close inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites.

"What is the use of having a revived deal without assuring guarantees that the U.S. will not violate again? How can we have a lasting agreement if these probes are not closed? We can have a good deal if Americans and Europeans fulfil their commitments," said Raisi during a news conference. 

"They’re asking us and European countries to put pressure on the IAEA and its director-general to close these probes, something we will not do," the U.S. official responded. "We respect the independence of the IAEA and the integrity of the IAEA."

Iran wants the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, to drop its years-long investigation into unexplained traces of uranium found at three undeclared sites in Iran.

Months of indirect talks between Iran and US President Joe Biden's administration appeared near revival in March in Vienna, but negotiations broke down over similar obstacles, such as Iran demanding a guarantee that no future US president would abandon the deal and IAEA guarantees.