Iran could hold direct nuclear talks with the United States if the conditions are suitable, the first vice-president Mohammadreza Aref said on Tuesday. However, he rejected requests from the United States so that Tehran completely abandoned uranium enrichment as “a joke”.
A sixth cycle of talks between Tehran and Washington was suspended after Israeli and American strikes on Iranian nuclear installations in June. The two powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation rejected by Tehran.
“Iran is ready for negotiations in equal conditions in order to protect its interests … The position of the Islamic Republic is in the direction that people want and, if there are appropriate conditions, we are even ready for direct talks,” said Aref.
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The series of previous negotiations, which started in April, were indirect and mediated by Oman. Washington argues that uranium enrichment in Iran is a path to develop nuclear weapons and should be abandoned.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed support for the resumption of negotiations with the United States despite the dominant distrust. “You don’t want to speak? Well, what do you want to do? Want to go to war? … Going to talks does not mean that we intend to go,” he said, adding that such questions should not be “emotionally approached”.
Aziz Ghazanfari, a superior commander of the Iranian revolutionary guards, replied on Monday, saying that foreign policy requires discretion and that the negligent declarations of the authorities may have serious consequences for the country.
