Iran is ready to negotiate with the United States but not under President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" policy, the Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday.
"Lifting sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of a 'maximum pressure' policy, as that would no longer be a negotiation but rather a form of capitulation," Abbas Araghchi stated, according to a statement published on his Telegram page.
Araghchi's statement comes after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged the government the previous day "not to negotiate" with the United States, deeming such a move "reckless."
The Supreme Leader, who has the final say on all strategic decisions in Iran, justified his stance by citing what he described as past agreements with the United States that were not honored.
In 2015, Iran reached an agreement with the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia to regulate its nuclear program.
In return, the deal provided for the easing of international sanctions against Tehran.
However, in 2018, during his first term, Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the agreement and reinstated heavy sanctions against Iran, to the dismay of European signatories.
On Wednesday, the U.S. president stated that he was in favor of a "peace deal" with Iran, the United States’ sworn enemy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
But "Iran cannot have nuclear weapons," Donald Trump insisted the following day, reinforcing his commitment to the "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran.
In this context, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Thursday new financial sanctions targeting an international network "facilitating the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars to China."
"Iran does not want to negotiate with a country that simultaneously imposes new sanctions," Araghchi emphasized on Saturday.
With AFP
Comments