Nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington may fail because of the US position, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on Monday.
According to Majid Takht-Ravanchi, talks between Iran and the US “will go nowhere” if Washington insists on zero uranium enrichment on Tehran’s part.
US President Donald Trump has said his country will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons. He also questioned why the oil-rich republic would also want peaceful nuclear power.
Ali Shamkhani, a political adviser to the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran was ready to pledge never to produce nuclear weapons and get rid of stockpiles of highly enriched uranium that could be used as material for them if Washington lifts all economic sanctions on Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will conclude an agreement on the US nuclear programme if a fundamental condition is met – Washington’s rejection of pressure and coercive policies, the Iranian president said. The Islamic republic will not submit to force under any circumstances, he emphasised.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said that even if Iran reaches an agreement with the US, Tehran will not stop enriching uranium.
Iran and the US began negotiations on a new nuclear deal in April, four rounds of talks have already taken place, mostly held in Oman and indirect: messages were transmitted through Omani representatives. From the side of Tehran, Araghchi is taking part in them, from the side of Washington – special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff.
Earlier, Trump threatened to drive Iran to bankruptcy if it refuses the nuclear deal.
