Top Iranian diplomat: Tehran willing to discuss nuclear program if Trump lifts crippling sanctions
A top Iranian diplomat said Tehran is willing to discuss its ongoing nuclear program if Washington will respond by lifting some of the sanctions that have helped cripple the country’s economy.
Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC on Sunday that “the ball is in America’s court” amid a second round of talks in Geneva aimed at reducing tensions and averting a military confrontation.
“Sanctions have to also be on the table,” Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said. “One cannot accept the notion that Iran has to do certain things without the other side committing itself.”
The U.S. is continuing to increase its military presence in the area with at least 10 to 12 warships primarily positioned in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is currently operating as the primary strike platform in the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford was ordered to the Middle East last week from the Caribbean, where it was supporting operations in Venezuela.
Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said while President Trump has made public comments that regime change in Iran would be a positive step, that is not the kind of bellicose rhetoric they are hearing from the U.S. side during diplomatic negotiations.
“That is a clear example of a mixed signal,” he said. “We are not hearing these slogans in private conversations.”
Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said he is optimistic that a diplomatic solution to the impasse between the U.S. and China can be discovered.
“We are hopeful that we can get the job done through peaceful means, although one cannot be 100% sure,” he said. “That is why we have made every precautionary measure to be alert and not to be surprised again.”
