Iran ‘ready’ for nuclear talks with US but only if Washington rebuilds trust

Tehran: Iran is ready to engage in talks on its nuclear programme with the United States, but only if Washington takes meaningful steps to rebuild trust, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Thursday.

Iran is set to meet Friday in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3 nations, and the European Union’s deputy foreign policy commissioner. They will be the first talks since Iran’s 12-day war with Israel in June, which involved US B-52 bombers striking nuclear-related facilities in Iran.

Gharibabadi said in a social media post Thursday that to enter negotiations, Iran sought “several key principles” to be upheld. He said these included “rebuilding Iran’s trust — as Iran has absolutely no trust in the United States — avoiding the use of talks as a platform for hidden agendas such as military action, though Iran remains fully prepared for any scenario; respecting and recognising Iran’s rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, including enrichment in line with its legitimate needs; and the lifting of sanctions”.

Friday’s talks will be held at the deputy ministerial level, with Iran sending Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi. A similar meeting was held in Istanbul in May.

The stakes are high. European leaders have threatened to trigger a “snapback” mechanism included in a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which would reimpose sanctions that were lifted in exchange for Iran accepting restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear programme. The UK, France and Germany were signatories to the 2015 deal. The US withdrew in 2018 during the first term of President Donald Trump, who insisted the agreement wasn’t tough enough.

Iranian officials have warned that a move to reimpose sanctions would have consequences. Gharibabadi said earlier this week that it could force Tehran to withdraw from key non-proliferation agreements.