The Iranian Deputy Minister stated that Tehran would be open to resuming discussions regarding its nuclear program, provided that the United States refrains from initiating further military actions. He expressed these sentiments during an interview with the BBC on Monday.
In the interview, Iranian diplomat Majid Takht-Ravanchi noted that Washington had indicated a desire for dialogue. However, he raised concerns about the possibility of ongoing attacks while discussions were taking place. “Are we going to see repeated attacks while we are engaged in dialogue?” he questioned, highlighting the ambiguity in the US’s current stance.
The situation escalated when the US commenced strikes on June 21 against three key nuclear facilities in Iran. Following these events, tensions mounted between Tehran and Israel, with both sides conducting airstrikes and halting US-Iran negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring large-scale weaponry.
President Trump and his supporters have consistently countered leaked preliminary assessments of the damage caused by these strikes, framing US military operations as successful in diminishing Iran’s nuclear capabilities over the years.
On Monday, Trump denied having any conversations with Iranian officials, asserting that he does not offer anything similar to what Iran does. He referenced former President Obama’s negotiations regarding the nuclear deal, famously known as the JCPOA, stating that he had seen it as a failure. “We completely erased their nuclear facilities,” he remarked, suggesting he too has a strategy for handling Iran.
During his first term, Trump had rescinded the JCPOA, under which the US and Iran were engaged in discussions for a new accord prior to Israel’s unexpected assault on Tehran’s military and nuclear sites on June 13.
Takht-Ravanchi reiterated Iran’s position that uranium enrichment is permissible for peaceful purposes. “To say that you shouldn’t have enrichment, you need to zero enrichment,” he asserted, arguing against the perspective that any level of enrichment should be banned. “If you don’t agree with the bomb, it’s the law of the jungle,” he added, emphasizing Iran’s stance on its nuclear rights.
