Iran has expressed its desire to reach a “peaceful” nuclear agreement with the United States to resolve a decades-long dispute, but emphasized that it will not compromise its national security, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Tuesday.
The U.S., along with European allies and Israel, has long accused Tehran of using its nuclear programme as a cover for developing weapons capabilities. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is strictly for peaceful purposes.
In October, President Donald Trump signaled that the U.S. was ready to negotiate with Iran when Tehran was willing, stating, “The hand of friendship and cooperation (with Iran) is open.”
However, Khatibzadeh accused Washington of sending mixed signals regarding nuclear talks through third-party channels. Speaking at the 12th Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate, he said Tehran viewed this as a breach of diplomatic trust.
The two nations had engaged in five rounds of nuclear negotiations prior to a brief, 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June, during which the U.S. conducted strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites. Since then, nuclear talks have stalled.
Khatibzadeh reiterated that Iran sees Washington’s actions as “betraying diplomacy”, underscoring that negotiations remain frozen in the wake of the June hostilities.
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