Iran is set to further cut its commitments to its international nuclear deal unless its European partners move to protect it from U.S. sanctions by ensuring it can sell oil and receive income, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday.

"Under current circumstances and if no action is taken (by the Europeans) we will take the next step (in cutting commitments)," Zarif said, adding that its European partners should guarantee Iran could sell its oil and collect the revenue.

Iran has said it will reduce its commitment to the nuclear accord in stages and may even withdrew from the pact unless the Europeans find ways to shield its economy from the U.S. sanctions.

Parties to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, including China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Iran, met in Vienna on Sunday, trying to salvage the pact since the U.S. withdrew from it in May 2018 and reimposed and toughened sanctions on Iran, crippling an already weak economy.

"Dialogue and negotiation can be held when we have a certain agenda in place and when we could get some tangible and practical results out of it," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said Monday.

He added: "They are not for talks. They are not seeking dialogue."

Iran will restart activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said Sunday.

(Cover: Zarif gestures during a press conference in Tehran, February 13, 2019. /VCG Photo)

(With inputs from Reuters)