Iran is prepared to take part in “fair and just” nuclear talks with the United States amid rising tensions between the 2 nations, but won’t be dictated to, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated Friday.
“We are under no circumstances willing to accept dictation or imposition,” Araghchi stated at a press convention throughout a go to to Istanbul alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. “Nevertheless, Iran is ready to participate in any diplomatic process that is meaningful, logical and fair.”
It is not clear when or in what format the potential talks may happen. Araghchi stated no assembly with the US has been organized whereas cautioning that such talks can’t be “conducted under threat.”
He additionally dominated out the opportunity of Tehran participating in negotiations about what he referred to as Iran’s “defensive capabilities,” in addition to its missile program. “I believe no country is prepared to compromise on its own security or its national defense,” he stated.
The announcement follows renewed threats from Washington, with US President Donald Trump urging Iran on Wednesday to signal what he referred to as an “equitable” nuclear deal or face one other potential US navy strike.
Trump stated Thursday he’s been having conversations with Iranian leaders and is planning on additional discussions.
“I have had and I am planning on it,” he stated when requested concerning the standing of his conversations with Tehran. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them.”
Trump didn’t say to whom he spoke, but he did describe the message he conveyed. “I told them two things,” Trump stated. “Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters.”
Thousands of demonstrators have been killed throughout current anti-government protests in Iran after a heavy clampdown by the Iranian regime.
Araghchi stated Friday that Iran is “ready to re-enter the nuclear negotiations” whereas reiterating Tehran’s long-standing place that his nation’s nuclear program is for peaceable functions.
“The necessary preliminaries must first be established – concerning the format, the venue and the agenda of the discussions,” he added.
As tensions between the US and Iran persist, each side introduced plans to perform navy workout routines within the area.
The US stated its forces would conduct a multi-day air train within the Middle East, aimed toward sharpening the US Air Force’s potential to quickly deploy personnel and plane.
Similarly, Iran introduced that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – recently designated as a terrorist group by the European Union – would perform live-fire workout routines subsequent week within the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade corridor.
In a response, US Central Command (CENTCOM) cautioned Iran to execute the drills “in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk to freedom of navigation for international maritime traffic.”
“Any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization,” CENTCOM stated in an announcement.
During Araghchi’s journey to Istanbul, Turkey stated it was prepared to “assume a facilitating role” between Iran and the US to assist de-escalate tensions.
The provide was made in a name between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Turkish presidency stated.
“The leaders discussed Turkey-Iran bilateral relations and the escalating military tensions in the region,” the Turkish presidency stated in an announcement Friday.
On arrival to Istanbul, Araghchi accepted that regional points are “extremely serious at the moment and we are facing major challenges.”
“The goals stated by the United States and others make it necessary for us to hold closer consultations, review regional developments and coordinate our positions,” Araghchi informed reporters.
Meanwhile in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, the Kremlin stated on Friday.
Russian officers didn’t instantly disclose the subjects that have been mentioned on the beforehand unannounced assembly. It comes after Putin on Thursday stated Moscow was rigorously following the state of affairs round Iran.
“Of course, we are closely watching what is happening on the Iranian track right now,” Russian state information company TASS cited Putin as saying.
NCS’s Hira Humayun, Mitchell McCluskey, Gul Tuysuz, Kevin Liptak and Caitlin Danaher contributed reporting.