TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday that the Islamic republic is not interested in talks with the United States over a new agreement on the country's nuclear program, official IRNA news agency reported.

As for the mediation attempts between Washington and Tehran, Zarif said that any mediation should focus on "how the United States returns to its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal."

Zarif made the remarks in Helsinki of Finland on Monday in the joint press conference with his Finish counterpart Pekka Haavisto.

U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 international Iranian nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018 and re-imposed the U.S. sanctions against Iran which had been removed under the accord.

Washington urges a new nuclear agreement with Tehran, which the latter rejects.