Contradictory statements from Iranian officials about possible negotiations with the US; Rouhani considers the "door" to negotiations open, Araqchi closed it

While US officials have announced that the US has shown its willingness to negotiate with Iran, contradictory statements about the Islamic Republic's approach to negotiating with the US continue.

In the latest of these contradictions, Hassan Rouhani did not consider the path to negotiations with the United States closed on Wednesday, June 29, and addressed the United States, saying, "If they return to the negotiating table by adhering to their commitments, the path is not closed to them."

Rouhani's position, which he has described as "in favor of negotiations," differs from his position a week ago. He had previously said that he did not accept it "under the current circumstances."

However, on the other hand, Fars News Agency reported that Abbas Araqchi, the deputy political director of the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry, has "ruled out" any negotiations with the United States during a trip to Qatar.

This week, the US president sent a clear message to Tehran. President Trump said on the sidelines of a trip to Japan that the US does not seek regime change or harm in Iran, but only wants to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

US officials say they prefer to negotiate directly with the Leader of the Islamic Republic rather than Rouhani or Zarif. Not long ago, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, described negotiations with the US as “poison” and said that there was no possibility of dialogue with this country. Khamenei’s opposition to negotiations with the US comes despite the fact that after the nuclear deal, it was revealed that the Leader’s representatives had secretly begun negotiations with US officials since late 2012.

The contradictory statements by Islamic Republic officials come at a time when US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus announced on Tuesday, June 27, that the United States is ready to negotiate with Iran if the Islamic Republic takes the 12 conditions seriously.

Tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic in the region have risen in recent weeks, with U.S. officials saying they have intelligence that suggests the threat from Iran is more serious than in the past.

US concerns over Islamic Republic's actions and further pressure

The United States says the nuclear deal with Iran has not had a positive impact on the country's behavior. President Trump, after withdrawing from the JCPOA in May 2018, ordered the reimposition of nuclear sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran in two phases, in August and November of last year.

The United States says the Islamic Republic is the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, continues its ballistic missile program in violation of Security Council Resolution 2231, and is a destabilizing factor in the Middle East.

Iran's missile tests had previously met with reactions from Western countries, who had repeatedly called on the Islamic Republic to stop producing and testing these missiles.

In recent years, Iran has conducted missile tests, some of which were emblazoned with the slogan "Destruction of Israel" in various languages ​​(including Hebrew).

In 2018, several plots by individuals affiliated with the Islamic Republic to assassinate political opponents in Europe were also discovered, leading to diplomatic action by France, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands against the Iranian regime.

On June 1, 2018, when announcing the new US strategy towards Iran, the US Secretary of State listed 12 US conditions for an agreement with the Islamic Republic, which are in fact a list of US demands from the Islamic Republic, or in other words, details of the Iranian regime's change in behavior.

Some of these conditions include stopping support for terrorism and refraining from destructive actions in the region, such as supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah and interfering in regional countries.

The United States placed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its list of terrorist groups at the beginning of 2019. This was the first time the United States had placed a country's military force on such a list alongside groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Source: Voice of America