Iran’s ambassador says ‘we are ready to discuss’ nuclear program if US is willing to ease sanctions
WASHINGTON — Iran is willing to “negotiate” its nuclear program if the United States is ready to lift some of its crippling sanctions in exchange, a deputy foreign minister said over the weekend.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Tehran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, said the ball was “in America’s court to prove that they want to make a deal” and predicted that both sides would improve if the US was sincere.
“We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program when they are ready to talk about fines,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC on Sunday.
Takht-Ravanchi did not specify how much concessions Iran could expect to make a deal on its nuclear program.
President Trump has been building up a strong military presence in the Persian Gulf region in recent weeks, mirroring his build-up in Venezuela before the January 3 capture of strongman Nicolas Maduro.
Trump, who said the US had “totally and completely destroyed” Tehran’s nuclear facilities during the Operation Midnight Hammer bombing last June, has refused to withdraw troops if a deal is not reached.
“It looks like that would be the best thing that could happen,” Trump told reporters Friday when asked about regime change in Iran.
When asked if the U.S. would again look at Tehran’s nuclear facilities, Trump replied, “If we do, that would be very little of the equipment.”
Those comments came two days after Trump met at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reportedly urged the president to visit Iran.
Iranian officials have repeatedly denied that they want to build a nuclear weapon. Before Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran had enriched uranium to 60% purity, overcoming what experts described as the biggest hurdle to achieving weapons-grade capability.
Tehran was rocked last month by mass protests over devaluation and a cost-of-living crisis, partly caused by the imposition of US sanctions.
At least 7,015 protesters have been confirmed dead by the Human Rights Activists News Agency, with other estimates putting the death toll much higher.
American and Iranian officials held informal talks in Oman earlier this month, and the second round will take place in Geneva on Tuesday, according to Takht-Ravanchi.
In 2018, Trump pulled the US out of Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but expressed openness to negotiating a new deal.
Trump administration officials have made it clear they would like any new deal to deal with Iran’s ballistic missile program and its funding of terrorist proxies, but Tehran has said the issues are off the table.
“When we were attacked by the Israelis and the Americans, our missiles helped,” Takht-Ravanchi said on Sunday. “So how can we accept depriving ourselves of our self-defense abilities?”
