Iran to Continue Talks With US on Nuclear Issue, Fears No Threats
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
TEHRAN (Sputnik) – Tehran does not strive for a conflict and does not fear any threats, and will continue to negotiate with the United States on the nuclear issues, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday. On Friday, US President Donald Trump said that “there’s not plenty of time” for Iran to strike a deal with the United States.
"We will negotiate. We do not strive for a war. However, we do not fear any threats," Pezeshkian said.
The Iranian leader also noted that there was a contradiction in Trump’s statements as on the one hand, the US president is calling for peace, and on the other hand, he is threatening Iran, which makes it hard to believe Trump. On Friday, Istanbul hosted Iran’s negotiations on its nuclear program with the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, known collectively as E3. The talks were held at the level of deputy foreign ministers. They are a follow-up to the fourth round of Oman-mediated negotiations between Tehran and Washington. The first and third rounds of indirect US-Iran talks were held in Muscat on April 12 and 26, while the second was held in Rome on April 19. The talks began after Trump sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in early March, offering both a new agreement on the Islamic republic’s nuclear program and threatening him with military force if diplomatic efforts failed. Iran rejected direct talks but agreed to an indirect dialogue. WorldIran Won’t Compromise on Uranium Enrichment, But May Adjust Levels to Build Trust With US – Araghchi11 May, 15:39 GMTIran signed a nuclear deal with China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the US, and Germany, as well as the European Union, in 2015. It committed Tehran to scaling back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The US withdrew from the deal in 2018 during Trump’s first term and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, leading to the collapse of the deal. In response, Iran announced that it would reduce its commitments, abandoning restrictions on nuclear research and the level of uranium enrichment.