Iran’s deputy foreign minister said in an interview published on Sunday that Tehran is ready to make compromises to reach a nuclear deal with Washington, but that any agreement hinged on whether the US is serious.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that the ball was “in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal … If they are sincere, I’m sure we will be on the road to an agreement.”
A second round of talks between US and Iranian officials is set to be held in Geneva this Tuesday, though the diplomacy doesn’t mean a US attack is not coming, as the two sides were engaged in nuclear negotiations in the lead-up to the 12-Day War in June 2025.
According to Takht-Ravanchi, the US has indicated it is dropping its demands for any deal to include limits on Tehran’s ballistic missiles and a commitment to zero nuclear enrichment, although President Trump has said publicly that any agreement must include those two conditions.
“Our understanding is that they have come to the conclusion that if you want to have a deal, you have to focus on the nuclear issue,” the Iranian official said, adding that the “issue of zero enrichment is not an issue anymore, and as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table anymore.”
The issue of including missiles and a commitment to zero uranium enrichment reflects Israel’s demands, which also include Iran cutting support for its allies in the region, and are likely designed to collapse diplomacy and ensure war.
Takht-Ravanchi explained why Iran wouldn’t negotiate its missiles, which are the country’s only form of deterrence and way to respond to US or Israeli attacks. “When we were attacked by Israelis and Americans, our missiles came to our rescue, so how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities?” he said.
Iranian officials have said that they are willing to dilute Iran’s stockpile of uranium that’s enriched at the 60% level as part of a deal with the US, an offer Takht-Ravanchi pointed to. “We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our programme if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” he said.
Another Iranian official suggested that a deal with the US could also involve economic cooperation. “For the sake of an agreement’s durability, it is essential that the U.S. also benefits in areas with high and quick economic returns,” said Hamid Ghanbari, the Iranian foreign ministry deputy director for economic diplomacy, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
“Common interests in the oil and gas fields, joint fields, mining investments, and even aircraft purchases are included in the negotiations,” Ghanbari added.
