Direct talks with US possible if sanctions lifted: Iran MP
An Iranian legislator says Washington's calls for direct negotiations with Tehran would be real and tangible only if the US administration abandons its animosity towards Iran.
“The United States must end its enmity with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Otherwise, its offers of direct talks would be nothing more than a deception” Muhammad Ali Pourmokhtar said on Tuesday.
He noted that removal of sanctions together with cessation of anti-Iran conspiracies and pressures are the prerequisite for the one-on-one talks between Tehran and Washington.
Pourmokhtar also rejected talks with the United States under pressure and threats, noting that no political rationale would agree with such negotiations.
On March 21, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei alluded to the US repeated offers of direct talks with Iran and said, “Through different ways and messages, the Americans try to negotiate with us on the nuclear issue, but I am not optimistic about these talks.”
“I am not opposed to talks with regard to the nuclear issue, but certain issues must be clarified,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
The Leader added, “Negotiation is an American tactic for deceiving the public opinion and if it is otherwise the Americans should prove it.”
A day after the Leader’s remarks, US Secretary of State John F. Kerry expressed Washington’s “strong” commitment to settle its differences with Iran.
"Despite the difficult history of the last decades between the United States and Iran, there is an opportunity to work diplomatically to reduce tensions and address the mistrust between our two countries, to the mutual benefit of both of our people," Kerry said in a statement.
Source: presstv.com
