Iran: Ready for direct talks with the US if it leads to a "good deal"

News agencies

25/01/2022

Tuesday, 25 January 2022, 10:10 Updated: 10:56

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Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi in Russian Parliament, Moscow, January 20, 2022 (Photo: Reuters)

Iran yesterday (Monday) for the first time expressed its readiness for direct negotiations with the United States, declaring that it is prepared to hold the talks "urgently", at a possible turning point in efforts to salvage the nuclear deal signed in 2015.

Tehran has been in talks since last year with the other five powers - Germany, France, China, Russia and Britain - which are still part of the deal, which eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program. After former US President Donald Trump unilaterally published the 2018 agreement, Washington under the Biden administration indirectly participated in the negotiations taking place in Vienna.

However, the United States has said on numerous occasions that it would prefer to hold direct talks with Iran, and yesterday its foreign minister said Tehran would consider doing so if that would be the key to a "good deal" to save the crumbling deal.

"If during the negotiations we reach a situation where reaching a good agreement with solid guarantees requires a level of talks with the United States, we will not ignore it," said Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein-Amir Abdullahian.

A State Department spokesman stressed after the remarks that the United States was "ready to meet directly" and that it believed it would be more effective, both on the nuclear issue and on other issues.

He warned that due to the rapid progress of Iran's nuclear program, there was not much time left for a reciprocal return to terms of the deal.

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