As sanctions return, Iran sets conditions for talking with the US

Tabnak – The new round of American sanctions against Iran came to effect officially today, with the US officials declaring that they’re trying to change the Islamic Republic’s behavior. For their part, Iranian officials say they have no problem with entering talks with the US, but have conditions for such a move.

In this vein, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran would be open to talks with the United States about a new nuclear agreement if Washington changes its "approach" to discussing a 2015 nuclear deal it withdrew from earlier this year.

Zarif made the remarks in a wide-ranging exclusive interview over the weekend with USA TODAY as the US re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran’s energy and banking sectors on Monday.

He added that Iran would weigh fresh diplomacy if there were "foundations for a fruitful dialogue" on the Iran nuclear reduction deal. "Mutual trust is not a requirement to start negotiations – mutual respect is a requirement," Zarif said in the 45-minute interview. He also emphasized that the current US "administration does not believe in diplomacy. It believes in imposition."

Elsewhere in his interview, Zarif pointed to various international agreements Trump has abandoned or renegotiated since taking office in January 2017 and said, “Mutual respect starts with respecting yourself, with respecting your signature, respecting your own word."

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says when he was in New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in September, "the leaders of four major countries" sought to broker a meeting between him and the US president. He did not name those leaders. The Iranian chief executive said, however, that there was no need for mediation.

"Honor your obligations first! We will speak then," Rouhani said, addressing American officials. "We have no problem with talking. If our interlocutor honors its word and promises, what will be wrong with talking?"

He noted that the unilateral withdrawal from the Iran deal has isolated the US. "Just look at how many countries support the US move and how many don't," he said. "The fact America insists on something and the entire European Union resists that same thing is nothing simple. That means victory for [our] diplomacy and foreign policy."

Earlier, President Rouhani's chief of staff announced that Trump had eight times requested a meeting with the Iranian president while he was in New York but had been rejected all eight times.

The remarks came as the United States has announced re-imposition of the “toughest” sanctions ever against Iran in an attempt to curtail the Islamic Republic’s oil exports and put extra pressure on the country's economy.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin took the podium at the State Department’s Foreign Press Center in Washington on Monday to unveil what the White House claims will force Iran to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs while rolling back Tehran’s influence in the Middle East region.