The Biden administration says it's ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, abandoned by former president Donald Trump in 2018.

The State Department said Thursday the US would accept an invitation from the European Union to attend a meeting of the participants in the original agreement.  Such an invitation has not yet been issued but one is expected shortly, following discussions earlier Thursday between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British, French and German counterparts.

"The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran's nuclear program," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

Iran reacted coolly to the US idea, which was conveyed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a video meeting with his British, French and German counterparts gathered in Paris.

"Instead of sophistry & putting onus on Iran, E3/EU must abide by own commitments & demand an end to Trump's legacy of #EconomicTerrorism against Iran," Zarif said in a tweet. "Our remedial measures are a response to US/E3 violations. Remove the cause if you fear the effect," he continued. "We'll follow ACTION w/ (with) action."

Blinken reiterated the US position that President Joe Biden's administration would return to the accord formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if Iran came into full compliance with the deal.

Earlier Thursday, Blinken and the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and France urged Iran to allow continued United Nations nuclear inspections and stop nuclear activities that have no credible civilian use. They warned that Iran's actions could threaten delicate efforts to bring the US back into the 2015 deal and end sanctions damaging Iran's economy.

Iran is "playing with fire," said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who took part in the talks Thursday in Paris with his British and French counterparts. Blinken had joined via videoconference.

Iran has said it will stop snap inspections by International Atomic Energy Agency next week if the West doesn't implement its own commitments under the 2015 deal. The accord has been unraveling since Trump pulled the US out of the agreement and imposed tough economic sanctions, which have seriously affected Iran’s economy.

Iran began breaching its commitment in 2019 and accelerated its uranium enrichment in recent weeks to pressure the new US administration to lift the sanctions.

Blinken reiterated that "if Iran comes back into strict compliance with its commitments ... the United States will do the same," according to a joint statement after Thursday's meeting that reflected closer trans-Atlantic positions on Iran since President Joe Biden took office.

The diplomats noted "the dangerous nature of a decision to limit IAEA access, and urge Iran to consider the consequences of such grave action, particularly at this time of renewed diplomatic opportunity."

They said Iran's decision to produce uranium enriched up to 20% and uranium metal has "no credible" civilian use.

"We are the ones who have kept this agreement alive in recent years, and now it's about supporting the United States in taking the road back into the agreement," Maas told reporters in Paris.

"The measures that have been taken in Tehran and may be taken in the coming days are anything but helpful. They endanger the Americans' path back into this agreement. The more pressure that is exerted, the more politically difficult it will be to find a solution," he said.

Iran's threats are "very worrying," British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, stressing the need "to re-engage diplomatically in order to restrain Iran, but also bring it back into compliance."

The diplomats also expressed concern about human rights violations in Iran and its ballistic missile program.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the president of the European Council spoke with President Hassan Rouhani this week to try to end the diplomatic standoff. The head of the IAEA is scheduled to travel to Iran this weekend to find a solution that allows the agency to continue inspections.

A French diplomatic source, quoted by Reuters, said Washington's shift marked an opening for Iran but the path ahead was fraught with obstacles.

"The Americans said they were available to talk to Iran" in a meeting along with the original parties to the deal," he said after the talks in Paris. "It’s an opening."

With reporting by AP and Reuters