In January, the Obama administration announced that Iran had completed the first step of its comprehensive agreement with world powers to curb its nuclear programme, a landmark agreement that will help curb the Islamic Republic’s weapons programmes and limit its nuclear ambitions.
But in the days since, there has been no indication of whether the deal will be completed.
The US and other world powers, including Russia, China and France, have said the deal was not complete and that Iran must halt its uranium enrichment activities.
Iran insists its programme is for peaceful purposes and that it does not have nuclear weapons.
The United States and the European Union have also called for an immediate halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, in Berlin on Wednesday, urged world powers not to impose “unacceptable” sanctions on Iran, including on the country’s oil sector.
He also criticised the US-led sanctions campaign, which has targeted Iran’s banking sector.
“It’s very unfortunate that the world has not been able to understand the fundamental reason behind our nuclear agreement and how the sanctions are damaging to the world economy,” Zarif said in a speech at Berlin’s foreign ministry.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has accused Washington of sabotaging the deal.
He has called the deal “a travesty” and said it has “failed”.
The US sanctions programme has drawn criticism from European and Arab leaders, as well as from Western powers such as Germany and France.
However, US President Donald Trump has said that he has “full confidence” in Iran’s nuclear programme.