Iran 'open' to indirect negotiations with US: FM

Tehran, March 24 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced Monday that his country will not engage in direct negotiations with the United States unless Washington adjusts its policy towards Tehran, but "the path is open for indirect negotiations."

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Red Crescent Society meeting in Tehran, Araghchi criticised the US government's so-called "maximum pressure" campaign and its repeated threats against Iran, emphasising that these actions make it impossible for Iran to negotiate with Washington unless there is "a fundamental change in attitude," Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

Araghchi further stressed that while direct negotiations are off the table, Iran remains open to indirect negotiations and will convey its messages through such channels.

Additionally, Araghchi hinted at plots against Iran and reiterated that "there will be no war" because the country is fully prepared for any scenario, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to another IRNA report on Sunday, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, stated that Iran is ready to resume its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if the other parties to the deal do not ignore its rights.

Earlier this month, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei had condemned fresh US sanctions targetting several individuals, vessels, and companies linked to Iran's oil exports.

The ministry said the move comes a day after the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad as well as several companies and vessels tied to the "shadow fleet" used to circumvent sanctions.

Baghaei dismissed US claims of readiness to negotiate with Tehran, saying the sanctions prove Washington's hostility toward Iran's development and welfare.

He said Iran would hold the US government accountable for the fallout from what he described as unilateral and illegitimate measures, adding that the move violated international law.

Since taking office in January, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on Iran to negotiate over its nuclear programme while keeping in place sanctions reimposed after the US exited the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.

The 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the JCPOA, granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. The agreement has been in jeopardy since the US withdrew in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term and reimposed sanctions. Tehran has since scaled back its compliance but insists its nuclear activities remain peaceful.

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