Donald Trump: I am ready to meet with Iranians without any preconditions
The President of the United States reiterated on Monday, August 30, his readiness to meet with Iran’s leaders and stated that he has “no preconditions” in this regard.
Donald Trump made these remarks during a joint press conference with Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy, in response to a question about whether he is willing to meet with Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran.
He said: “I am absolutely ready” to meet with Iran’s President, if he is willing to do so, and this meeting would also be “without any preconditions.”
Islamic Republic officials had previously repeatedly rejected proposals for negotiations with the United States.
Bahram Qassemi, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, rejected reports on Monday that Oman’s Foreign Minister’s visit to Washington was intended to mediate between Iran and the United States, saying: “With this America and the policies it has pursued, there will certainly be no possibility for interaction and dialogue.”
The U.S. President said: “I am absolutely willing to meet with Iranians if they want to. I don’t know if they currently have the willingness to do so. I ended the agreement with Iran. It was a ridiculous deal. I believe they are probably seeking a meeting and I am ready to meet with them whenever they want.”
He added that he believes in holding meetings and referred to the benefits of his recent meetings with Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, and Vladimir Putin, President of Russia.
Mr. Trump also warned that Iran “will never be allowed” to gain access to nuclear weapons.
On February 7 of this year, he withdrew the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, and said that Washington would reimpose sanctions against Tehran.
At the same time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s leader, responded sharply to the U.S. President’s action, saying: “The Iranian nation stands with power and those [previous presidents] died and their bones have decayed and the Islamic Republic still exists. This gentleman will also turn to dust and his body will become food for snakes and ants and the Islamic Republic will continue to stand.”
The presidents of the two countries have intensified verbal warfare against each other in recent weeks.
After Hassan Rouhani described war with Iran as “the mother of wars” and peace with Iran as “the mother of peace,” Mr. Trump warned him to “never threaten America again.”
Meanwhile, John Bolton, U.S. National Security Advisor, had said: “I spoke with the President [Trump] in recent days and he told me that if Iran takes any negative action, it will pay a price that few countries have paid before.”
In June of this year, more than a hundred political and civil activists inside and outside Iran called for “direct negotiations without any preconditions” between Iran and the United States in a statement, referring to the “global” reception of the U.S. President’s meeting with North Korea’s leader and the “dangerous situation in the region.”
Figures and media close to hardliners strongly attacked this proposal and accused the letter’s signatories of “treason.”
Source: Radio Farda
