tehran, iran
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A senior Iranian official told CNN that Iran is willing to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States if they are conducted respectfully, but insisted that Iran would not move from its position before the June attacks by the United States and Israel.
“They have to make the first move to show that they are ready to engage with us on the terms we offer… It has to be based on equal footing and mutual respect,” Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s foreign policy adviser Kamal Khalaj said in an exclusive interview with CNN from Tehran. “The agenda will be prepared in advance to ensure clarity of content and discussion process.”
“Unfortunately, President (Donald) Trump does not believe in diplomatic engagement and would rather use force to achieve his goals,” he added.
Khalaj indicated that Iran’s conditions for approaching the United States had not changed since the United States and Israel attacked its nuclear facilities in June, adding that uranium enrichment will continue as the country needs fuel for power plants and medical purposes. Iran’s ballistic missile program, which he said is expanding, will also be off the negotiating table. “The only thing we will discuss with the United States is the nuclear issue,” he said.
While the Trump administration and Iran were in the middle of talks toward resolving the conflict in June, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, eventually drawing in the United States and carrying out attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities, marking a direct U.S. attack on Iranian soil.
Almost five months later, the damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities has yet to be assessed, Karaj said.
On Sunday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told CNN that the country’s nuclear program remained “intact” despite severe damage to “infrastructure, machinery” and “buildings.” On the same day, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that uranium enrichment was not taking place “at this time” due to the attack on the country’s facilities.
During Iran-US talks in the summer, the US insisted that Iran completely stop enriching uranium, but Iran was adamant that it continue to enrich uranium domestically to a purity that could not be used to make a nuclear bomb. Highly enriched uranium is a key component of nuclear weapons.
Karaj said the “degree of enrichment” rather than enrichment itself would be the focus of potential negotiations with the United States.
Asked if he was worried about another military conflict with the United States or Israel, he said: “Everything is possible. But we are ready for it.”
CNN reported in June that the US had proposed a nuclear deal that would see it invest in Iran’s civilian nuclear power program and join a consortium to oversee low-level uranium enrichment in Iran for an unspecified period of time. That potential consortium is expected to include Middle Eastern countries and the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
At the time, Iranian officials repeatedly said they were open to the idea of an enrichment consortium, but insisted that Iran must be able to maintain control over its own enrichment capabilities.
Asked by CNN if there was room for an agreement with the United States regarding Iran’s nuclear program, including the possibility of a consortium, Mr. Karaj said, “I think so.”
“If there were real negotiations between Iran and the United States, there would be ways and means to allow Iran to continue enrichment while at the same time assuring the other country that it would not seek nuclear weapons.”
Mr. Karaji also gave a message to Mr. Trump.
“They should start with a positive approach toward Iran. If it’s positive, it will definitely pay off. But for that to happen, they (the United States) have to refrain from any force against Iran.” “They tried it and now they understand it’s unacceptable and unworkable.”
