No plans for talks with US: Iran’s top diplomat

Istanbul: Iran’s foreign minister announced Friday that his country is ready for dialogue to resolve tensions but that there are no concrete plans for talks with the United States — even as Tehran faces the threat of US military action in response to the killing of peaceful demonstrators and over possible mass executions.

The minister, Abbas Araghchi, spoke in Istanbul where he arrived earlier in the day for talks with Turkish officials. Ankara has been working to reduce tensions in the wider region following threats of a possible US military strike against Iran.

Iran has cracked down on nationwide protests, which began as demonstrations against the country’s economic woes but broadened into a challenge to the Islamic Republic’s theocracy.

Activists say the crackdown has killed at least 6,479 people.