Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that direct talks with the US would be possible if Washington showed that it was not hostile toward Tehran.
“We are not hostile towards the US. They should end their hostility towards us by showing their goodwill in practice,” Pezeshkian said at a press conference. “We are brothers with the Americans as well.”
Pezeshkian made the comments when asked if he would consider direct talks with the US to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018.
The Iranian leader also reiterated Iran’s stance that it’s not seeking nuclear weapons. He said Iran is only enriching uranium at 60% purity, which is still below the 90% needed for weapons-grade, in response to the US tearing up the JCPOA, which limited Iranian enrichment at 3.67%.
“I think, we said many times, we don’t want to do this at all. We want to solve our technical and scientific needs, we are not looking for nuclear weapons,” Pezeshkian said. “We adhered to the framework written in the (nuclear deal). We are still looking to maintain those frameworks. They tore them, they forced us to do something.”
Iran increased uranium enrichment to 60% in 2021 following an Israeli sabotage attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, which was timed to sabotage indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Pezeshkian, who took office in July, pledged during his campaign that he would negotiate with the US and other Western countries to work toward sanctions relief. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to give him the green light to pursue talks, saying last month that there was “no harm” in engaging with “the enemy.”
While Pezeshkian is willing to talk, it’s unlikely he will have a willing partner in the US, at least anytime soon. The Biden administration isn’t expected to make any changes before the November election and continues to increase sanctions on Iran.
The previous Trump administration took a hardline toward the Islamic Republic, and former President Trump and his vice president pick, JD Vance, have made hawkish comments on Iran while on the campaign trail.
