President favors direct talks with US: Iranian MP
An Iranian lawmaker said President Massoud Pezeshkian favors direct negotiations with the United States to put an end to long-standing differences, including Iran’s nuclear issue.
Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a member of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Sunday that Oman has traditionally mediated between the two nations, but direct talks would be more effective.
Bakhshayesh stressed that Pezeshkian coordinates with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on various matters, including negotiations with the West.
He also mentioned the possibility of initiating discreet negotiations with Western countries, explaining that since Pezeshkian took office in August last year, there have been plans to sign a long-term agreement with Europe, akin to deals with China and Russia.
The lawmaker also suggested that the president consults with the parliamentary committees before negotiating with other countries, explaining that any agreement must be approved by the parliament, according to Iran’s Constitution.
Since taking office in July, the Iranian president has repeatedly announced his government’s readiness to hold talks with the Western countries to resolve their disputes over Iran’s nuclear program.
In 2015, Iran and world powers – including France, Britain and Germany – reached an agreement that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
But the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed biting economic sanctions.
The European parties to the deal also failed to live up to their commitments under the deal.
In recent months, Iran and the three European powers have held two rounds of negotiations to resolve issues over Iran’s nuclear program.
Tensions between Iran and European countries escalated over the past two years due to European accusations of Iran’s uranium enrichment as well as delivery of missiles and drones to Russia.
The European countries and the United States have also sanctioned several Iranian individuals and institutions over the issues.
European countries claim that Iran has supplied ballistic missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine conflict, an allegation that Tehran has categorically rejected.
Despite tensions between Tehran and the European countries, the Pezeshkian administration has repeatedly called for talks with the West to settle differences.