Iran says conditions not ripe for talks with US

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Iran will not sit for talks with the United States over the existing issues as the conditions are not ripe, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Press TV on Tuesday.

"I'm not ruling out the prospect of talks (with Washington) provided the necessary conditions for talks, and that is reliability," Zarif said.

"Reliability is that when you sign something you are bound by it. Otherwise, everything will fall apart," he said, adding that "we are waiting for some sense of realism."

Iranian authorities have stressed that Tehran will not sit for negotiations under Washington's threats and sanction pressures.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. /VCG Photo

Following US President Donald Trump's decision to quit the historic Iran nuclear pact on May 8, the United States vowed to re-impose sanctions lifted under the accord against Iran and inflict punishments like secondary sanctions on nations that have business links with Iran.

Washington's withdrawal from the landmark Iran nuclear deal was criticized across the world. Some of its major European allies have been working to prevent the 2015 deal from falling apart.

Trump's administration has called for renegotiation of the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal as well as Tehran's missile program. Iran has ruled out the possibility of talks over defense plans.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani did not meet with Trump while attending the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week.

(Cover: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) and US President Donald Trump. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency