A top Iranian diplomat said Tehran is willing to discuss its ongoing nuclear program if Washington will respond by lifting some of the sanctions that have helped cripple the country’s economy.
Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC on Sunday that “the ball is in America’s court” amid a second round of talks in Geneva aimed at reducing tensions and averting a military confrontation.
“Sanctions have to also be on the table,” Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said. “One cannot accept the notion that Iran has to do certain things without the other side committing itself.”
The U.S. is continuing to increase its military presence in the area with at least 10 to 12 warships primarily positioned in the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is currently operating as the primary strike platform in the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford was ordered to the Middle East last week from the Caribbean, where it was supporting operations in Venezuela.
U.S. military strikes against Iran would spiral into a larger conflict in the region, Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said.
“It would be traumatic, existential and bad for everybody. Everybody will suffer, particularly those who have initiated this aggression,” he said. “If we see it as an existential threat, we will respond accordingly.”
Mr. Takht-Ravanchi’s comments came as his boss, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, was in Geneva on Monday for meetings with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Mr. Araghchi wrote on X.
Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said that while President Trump has made public comments that regime change in Iran would be a positive step, that is not the kind of bellicose rhetoric they are hearing from the U.S. side during diplomatic negotiations.
“That is a clear example of a mixed signal,” he said. “We are not hearing these slogans in private conversations.”
Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said he is optimistic that a diplomatic solution to the impasse between the U.S. and China can be discovered.
“We are hopeful that we can get the job done through peaceful means, although one cannot be 100% sure,” he said. “That is why we have made every precautionary measure to be alert and not to be surprised again.”
The White House says it wants a permanent end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions rather than merely a “pause” in its development. The Trump administration says its enrichment infrastructure must be fully dismantled, with existing stockpiles of highly enriched uranium transferred to a third country.
Mr. Takht-Ravanchi said Iran is ready to compromise but only up to a point.
“As far as we are concerned, zero enrichment is not on the table,” he told the BBC.
Mr. Trump has said he wants strong inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including “anytime, anywhere” access for I.A.E.A. staffers at the country’s declared and undeclared sites.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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