Iran's foreign minister asked the European Union to coordinate a synchronized return of both Washington and Tehran into a nuclear deal, after a diplomatic standoff on who will act first.

US President Joe Biden has voiced support for returning to the accord, from which Donald Trump exited, but has insisted that Tehran first resume full compliance by reversing measures it took to protest the sweeping sanctions imposed by his predecessor.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who has previously demanded an end to sanctions before Iran acts, offered a way forward during an interview on CNN International Monday.

"You know clearly there can be a mechanism to basically either synchronize it, or coordinate what can be done," he told interviewer Christiane Amanpour.

Zarif said that EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell should play a role in his position of coordinator of the 2015 agreement -- which also included Britain, France and Germany as well as Russia and China.

Borrell can "sort of choreograph the actions that are needed to be taken by the United States and the actions that are needed to be taken by Iran," Zarif said.

"The United States needs to come back into compliance and Iran will be ready immediately to respond. The timing is not the issue."

Trump walked out of the deal negotiated under former president Barack Obama, vowing instead to strangle Iran's economy. The Biden administration argues that Trump's actions badly backfired, with Iran both moving away from the nuclear deal and only intensifying its opposition to US interests.