Tehran believes US sanctions will soon be lifted despite continuing “diplomatic wrangling” over reviving the nuclear deal, a government spokesman said on Saturday, signaling Tehran’s desire to end the deadlock while not offering a new position.

Iran and the United States have been at odds over who should take the first step to revive the 2015 accord. Iran insists that the United States must first lift former US President Donald Trump’s sanctions while Washington says Tehran must first return to compliance with the deal.

The White House said on Friday that the United States plans to take no additional actions in response to pressure from Iran before potential talks with Tehran and major powers about returning to the deal.

However, cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency on Saturday:

“We expect with confidence that diplomatic initiatives will result in a favorable outcome despite the diplomatic wrangling, which are a natural prelude to the return of the parties to their commitments, including the lifting of all sanctions in the near future.”

Under the deal with major powers, Iran accepted curbs to its nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions. The US reimposed sanctions after Trump quit the deal in 2018, and Iran responded by breaching some of the deal’s nuclear limits.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is due in Tehran this weekend to tackle ways to work with Iran in light of the possibility of scaling back cooperation.