NO MORE DIRECT U.S.-IRAN TALKS
NUKE TO SPACE WAR
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday ruled out holding any bilateral talks with the United States and threatened to further cut Iran’s commitments to a nuclear deal within days.
His comments were followed by the US imposing sanctions on
Iran’s space program, as Washington claimed a recent explosion on a launch pad was a sign of missile work.
Iran and three European countries — Britain, France and Germany — have been trying to save a landmark agreement reached in 2015 and meant to limit Tehran’s nuclear program after the US pulled out last year.
But French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian cautioned that several issues were still hindering their efforts.
“There is still lots to work out. It’s still very fragile,” Le Drian told journalists in Paris on Tuesday.
France has been leading efforts for dialogue, with President Emmanuel Macron expressing hope during G7 talks in late August of organizing a meeting between Rouhani and US President Donald Trump.
However, in a speech to Iran’s parliament on Tuesday, Rouhani said any dialogue with the US would have to fall within the framework of the six major powers that agreed the nuclear deal.
“Maybe there has been a misunderstanding. We’ve said it several times and we repeat it — there has been no decision to hold bilateral talks with the US,” said the Iranian president.
“In principle, we don’t want bilateral talks with the United States,” he told lawmakers, saying Tehran had rebuffed several proposals for such talks.
“If the United States lifts all sanctions... it would be possible to talk (to them) during 5+1 meetings as in the past,” Rouhani said, referring to the powers involved in negotiating the 2015 deal.
Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads since May 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the nuclear deal and began reimposing crippling sanctions.
The arch-foes were on the cusp of confrontation in June when Iran downed a US drone and Trump ordered retaliatory strikes before cancelling them at the last minute.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US was imposing sanctions on the Iran Space Agency and two affiliated research centers, in order to constrain its ballistic missile capabilities.
The move came after an explosion at an Iranian satellite launch pad on 29 August, which Pompeo alleged was an “attempt to launch a space launch vehicle.”
“The United States will not allow Iran to use its space launch program as cover to advance its ballistic missile programs,” he added.
In response to the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran has scaled back its nuclear commitments.
There is still lots to work out. It’s still very fragile.
The 2015 deal had given it the promise of relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its atomic program.
It has already increased its uranium enrichment and stockpiles, and Rouhani said Tuesday a “third step will be enacted in the coming days” unless the remaining parties to the deal honor their own commitments.
Reacting to the threat, a French diplomat involved in talks with Tehran said any further violation of the deal would send a “bad signal.”