Istanbul, Turkey. Iran is prepared to resume talks with the United States but only on a fair basis and without including Iran’s defence capabilities, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday. His comments came as regional powers pursue diplomacy to prevent a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
Iran sets conditions for negotiations
Araqchi, speaking at a press conference in Istanbul after talks with his Turkish counterpart, said Iran was ready to participate in “fair and equitable” negotiations, but said no meetings with U.S. officials were currently arranged.
“Iran has no problem with negotiations, but negotiations cannot take place under the shadow of threats,” he said, adding that the United States should set aside threats and adopt an approach consistent with “fair and equitable” talks.
Missile programme cited as U.S. demand
One of the main U.S. demands for resuming talks is curbing Iran’s missile programme, a senior Iranian official told Reuters last week. Araqchi said Iran rejects that demand and stated that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities would not be subject to negotiations.
“We will preserve and expand our defensive capabilities to whatever extent is necessary to defend the country,” he said.
U.S. signals readiness amid rising tensions
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he planned to speak with Iran, as the United States sent another warship to the Middle East and the Pentagon chief said the military would be ready to carry out whatever the president decided.
U.S.-Iranian tensions have increased in recent weeks after a bloody crackdown on protests across Iran by its clerical authorities.
Regional diplomacy to prevent escalation
Regional allies including Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been engaging in diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing military conflict between the two countries.
Araqchi said Tehran was ready for either negotiations or warfare and also ready to engage with regional countries to promote stability and peace.
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