Veep: Direct nuclear talks with US possible under ‘suitable conditions’
Iran could hold direct nuclear talks with the United States if conditions are suitable, First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said on Tuesday.
"Iran is ready for negotiations under equal conditions in order to safeguard its interests ... The Islamic Republic's stance is in the direction that people want and, should there be suitable conditions, we are even ready for direct talks," Aref said.
A sixth round of talks between Tehran and Washington was suspended following Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
Previous rounds of negotiations, which started in April, were indirect, mediated by Oman. Washington claims uranium enrichment in Iran constitutes a pathway to developing nuclear weapons and should be dropped.
Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is peaceful and has announced its readiness for trust-building measures to resolve a decades-long tension over Iran’s nuclear program.
Aref said that Iran has repeatedly announced that it is ready to build trust but the US has turned a blind eye. He said Washington has a habit of dictating its own demands in the negotiations but the Iranian nation has not accepted (such negotiations) and will not allow the government to negotiate under such conditions.
“We will negotiate with dignity and will not give up (uranium) enrichment, and the idea of zero enrichment is a big joke," he said.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also made a statement in favor of resuming negotiations with the US regardless of current levels of distrust.
"You don’t want to talk? Well then, what do you want to do? Do you want to go to war? ... Going to talks does not mean we intend to surrender,” he said, adding that such issues should not be "approached emotionally".