Iran open to resuming nuclear talks with the US but won’t shift its conditions, supreme leader’s adviser says

Iran is willing to resume nuclear talks with the United States if they are conducted respectfully, a senior Iranian official told CNN, while insisting Tehran will not move from the position it held before the US and Israel attacked it in June.

“They have to make the first move to show that they are ready to engage with us on the conditions that we put… it has to be based on equal footing and mutual respect,” said Kamal Kharrazi, foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an exclusive interview with CNN from Tehran. “The agenda would be prepared in advance to ensure the clarity of substance and the process of discussions.”

“Unfortunately, President (Donald) Trump does not believe in diplomatic engagement but rather prefers to use force to achieve his objectives,” he added.

Kharrazi indicated that Iran’s conditions for a rapprochement with Washington have not changed since the US and Israel struck its nuclear facilities in June, adding that uranium enrichment will continue because the country needs the fuel for its power plants and for medical purposes. Tehran’s ballistic missile program, which he said is expanding, will also be off the negotiating table. “It is only the nuclear issue we will discuss with the United States,” he said.