Tehran still keen on talks if Trump lifts sanctions
TEHRAN: President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday that Iran favours talks with the US if it lifts sanctions against the Islamic republic, despite his top diplomat turning down a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Mr Rouhani said that “peace with Iran is the mother of all peace” and “war with Iran is the mother of all wars” as he defended a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran favours talks and negotiations and, if the US really wants to talk, before anything else it should lift all sanctions,” Mr Rouhani said in remarks aired live on state television.
Mr Rouhani, speaking at the foreign ministry after meeting with his top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said Iran was ready for talks regardless of whether or not the US was party to a landmark nuclear deal.
“Whether they want to come into the JCPOA or not, it’s up to them,” said Mr Rouhani, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“All sanctions should be lifted,” he said, accusing the US of committing acts of “economic terrorism” for blocking imports of food and medicine.
“So if it wants talks, it must prepare the path for it. There is no other way.”
Tensions between Iran and the US have been rising since Mr Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal in May 2018 and began imposing sanctions on it as part of a campaign of “maximum pressure”.
Mr Rouhani said in any talks the Americans should be ready to negotiate fairly.
“If you want security, if your soldiers want security in the region, [then agree to] security for security,” he said. “You cannot harm our security and then expect your own security.
“Strait for strait. Oil for oil. It cannot be that the Strait of Hormuz to be free for you and the Strait of Gibraltar not to be free for us.”