While the liaison between Iran and the US in the Vienna talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal continues through the European Union, Washington’s “wrong policy of maximum pressure” is to blame for the status quo, Iran’s top diplomat said, Tasnim reported.

In a telephone conversation on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres talked about a range of regional and international developments, including the situation in Yemen, Afghanistan and Ukraine as well as the Vienna talks on the removal of sanctions against Iran.

Referring to the continuation of the exchange of messages between Iran and the US through the EU in the Vienna talks, Amirabdollahian blamed the US’s maximum pressure campaign for the current situation.

The Iranian foreign minister further called the security and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan “very worrying” and underlined the need for the formation of an inclusive government in that country with the participation of all ethnic groups.

Amirabdollahian also referred to the Afghan refugee influx and demanded that the UN fulfill its obligations regarding the Afghan refugees.

Reaffirming Iran’s opposition to the war in Ukraine and referring to Tehran’s political efforts to stay away from war and focus on a political solution and attention to the humanitarian aspects of the Ukraine crisis, Amirabdollahian said the Ukraine crisis must not prevent the attention of the international community to the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan.

The UN secretary general further pointed to the importance of political initiatives in the Vienna talks over the removal of sanctions, expressing hope that the talks will continue and produce the desired results.