Have direct Iran-US talks become more possible?

Tabnak – Following the ouster of White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, there have been fresh speculations on the possibility of a diplomatic engagement between Iran and the US. While Tehran says such a thing cannot happen under the current sanctions, Washington signals the possibility of partially easing them.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in a telephone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, rejected as “meaningless” the notion that the Islamic Republic may hold talks with the US administration while the economic sanctions are in place.

In the telephone conversation on Wednesday evening, Rouhani said the US has evaded its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by withdrawing from the international accord. “From the viewpoint of Iran’s administration, parliament and people, as long as the sanctions are in place, negotiation with the US is meaningless,” he said.

Rouhani further pointed to Iran’s third step in reducing its JCPOA commitments and said that Tehran is ready to return to the commitments and that talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, US, Britain, France, and Germany) would be held only if the sanctions are lifted.

He also emphasized that the JCPOA’s strength and the security of all waterways, including the Persian Gulf, are two major goals that would benefit all countries, including the European Union member states and even the United States.

Macron, for his part, referred to his government’s intense negotiations with the US over Iran and said Paris would continue the efforts to implement the deal and reach an understanding.

The Iranian and French presidents also agreed to continue their consultations on the issue.

This comes as US President Donald Trump has refused to rule out easing of sanctions on Iran amid tensions between Washington and Tehran. He made the comments alongside his wife, Melania, at an event in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday.

"We'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. I think Iran has the potential and I think North Korea - those are two countries we're dealing with right now at a very high level,” claimed the US president. “I think Iran has a tremendous potential. They're incredible people. We're not looking for regime change. We hope that we can make a deal and if we can't make a deal that's fine too. OK? That's fine too. But, I think they have to make a deal."

Trump’s comments came after he sacked his hawkish national security advisor, John Bolton, who had been dreaming of a war on Iran for years. Oil prices reportedly fell more than two percent after the president made the comments.