TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said that Tehran could hold direct talks with the United States if Washington demonstrates “in practice” that it is not hostile to the Islamic Republic.
The Iranian President was responding to a question during a news conference in Tehran on whether Iran would be open to direct talks with the US to revive a 2015 nuclear program deal.
Pezeshkian said that for talks to resume, the US must show “goodwill in practice” and cease its antagonistic stance towards Iran. “We are not hostile towards the US; they should end their hostility towards us by showing their goodwill in practice,” Pezeshkian stated.
The Iranian President further remarked, “We are brothers with the Americans as well,” suggesting a desire for improved relations under the right conditions.
The 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was unilaterally abandoned by former US President Donald Trump in 2018. Trump criticized the deal as too favorable to Iran and reinstated severe sanctions, which led Tehran to progressively breach the deal’s nuclear constraints.
Under President Joe Biden, the US attempted to negotiate a revival of the JCPOA. However, these efforts have largely been conducted through intermediaries, with Iran refusing to engage in direct talks with Washington.
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President Pezeshkian also addressed Iran’s missile program, which has been a point of contention with Western nations. He said that Iran would not relinquish its missile capabilities, citing the need for deterrence in a region where Israel is capable of significant military actions, including frequent airstrikes on Gaza.
Pezeshkian drew a comparison to the situation in Gaza, stating, “If we don’t have missiles, they will bomb us whenever they want, just like in Gaza.”
Iran has faced criticism from the US and its allies for its missile program, with recent accusations suggesting that Tehran has supplied ballistic missiles to Russia for its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Both Iran and Russia have denied these allegations, and new sanctions have been imposed on both countries as a result.
Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s position that calls for disarmament should first target Israel. He urged the international community to address what he described as Israel’s military aggression before imposing similar demands on Iran.
“We call on the international community to first disarm Israel before making the same demands to Iran,” he said.
