US Democratic Senator Bob Menendez (NJ) has reiterated that no nuclear deal with Ian is better than a bad deal.

Menendez said on Sunday that, “It’s 2022. It's not 2014. Some of the original deal sunsets are even closer… to ending a pathway where Iran could ultimately achieve its goal,” a reference to the belief that Tehran is bent on producing nuclear weapons.

His remarks came as negotiations between Tehran and world powers seem to have come to a dead end while the European parties are making a fresh push to revive the talks.

According to Western diplomats close to the talks, the European Union coordinator of the negotiations, Enrique Mora, has told Iranian counterparts he is ready to return to Tehran to open a pathway, hoping to break the stalemate.

The negotiations, which started in Vienna in April 2021, have been on a protracted pause since March 11, as the Islamic Republic demanded removing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) from the US list of terrorist organizations.

Western and Iranian officials said the text of the nuclear deal was virtually complete and technical issues have been resolved but political issues have remained.

There is bipartisan opposition in Washington and anger among the US Middle Eastern allies over the prospect of the terrorist designation being removed.

The US says the only way it would take that step is if Iran is ready to discuss issues related to its role in the region.