President: Iran seeks negotiations ‘but not with ignominy’
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that the Islamic Republic is seeking negotiations to resolve a dispute with the West over its nuclear program but “not with ignominy.”
The president said that Iran believes in negotiation and is ready to hold talks with the entire world but “we do not negotiate at any cost.”
He made the remarks in a meeting with the representatives of the country’s political parties on Sunday in Tehran.
Pezeshkian said that the other side should also prove that is seeking negotiation.
Since taking office in January, the US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for talks with Iran to reach an agreement on its nuclear program.
At the same time, he has threatened Iran with bombing if an agreement is not reached between the two sides.
Trump sent a letter to Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei last month calling for negotiations.
Iran has responded to the letter through Oman. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Iran has sent its response to Trump’s letter and is now waiting for the US decision in this regard.
“Iran’s proposal for indirect negotiations was a generous and wise proposal given the history of the issue and trends related to the nuclear talks over the past decade. We are focused on what we have proposed,” the ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
On Thursday, the US president said he favored “direct talks,” arguing they were “faster” and offered a better understanding than going through intermediaries.
But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that direct talks made no sense with a country “that constantly threatens to resort to force in violation of the UN Charter and that expresses contradictory positions from its various officials.”
“We remain committed to diplomacy and are ready to try the path of indirect negotiations,” Araghchi added during a ceremony on the occasion of Iran’s new year, in which ambassadors and envoys from foreign countries attended.
Earlier on Saturday, Pezeshkian said his country is willing to engage in dialogue with the United States on an “equal footing.”
He also questioned Washington’s sincerity in calling for negotiations, saying, “If you want negotiations, then what is the point of threatening?”
In 2015, the country reached a landmark deal with the permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely the United States, France, China, Russia, and the United Kingdom, as well as Germany, on its nuclear activities.
The agreement provided for sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iranian nuclear activities.
In 2018, during Trump’s first term in office, the US withdrew from the agreement and reinstated sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran rolled back on its commitments under the agreement and accelerated its nuclear program.
Western countries including the US have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has denied, insisting its enrichment activities were solely for peaceful purposes.