“We have never had any problem with negotiation, but negotiation is different from dictation, ordering, and bullying. Whenever the parties to the talks are ready to negotiate on an equal footing, aiming to reach an agreement based on mutual respect and free from threats and intimidation, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready too,” Araghchi said on Thursday.
He made the remarks while addressing local officials in East Azarbaijan Province, northwest Iran, during a meeting in the provincial capital, Tabriz, on economic diplomacy.
“The flag of negotiation and diplomacy in Iran has never been lowered, and negotiation only has meaning when it is based on mutual respect and shared interests, free from threats and pressure,” he noted.
According to IRNA, the top diplomat emphasized that whenever the other parties are ready for “fair and respectful dialogue,” Iran is also prepared to take steps toward constructive negotiations.
Araghchi, who arrived in East Azarbaijan on Wednesday afternoon to attend a national seminar on Iran’s diplomacy and territorial integrity, also touched upon other issues during his meeting with local officials.
He elaborated on the measures being taken by President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration to delegate greater authority to provincial officials and to extend national economic diplomacy to the provincial level as part of efforts to boost economic growth.
He said the Foreign Ministry has been tasked with removing obstacles to economic growth, adding that the main obstacle is sanctions, which the ministry is working to lift or circumvent through expanding economic relations.
Iran has been hit by economic sanctions over its dispute with the West, particularly the United States, regarding its peaceful nuclear energy program. The US insists that Iran should not have a uranium enrichment program, while Iran strongly rejects this stance, saying it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
Tehran and Washington were engaged in talks to resolve the dispute when Israel, backed by the United States, launched a war of aggression against Iran in June this year.
The US also entered the war by bombing three major Iranian nuclear sites. Now, Iran says that as long as threats and pressure continue, holding any talks would be meaningless.
