Rouhani: US Must Take First Step for Any Talks

EghtesadOnline: President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is willing to engage in talks, if the US shows renewed commitment to the provisions of the international nuclear accord.

News ID: ۷۴۹۳۶۵

05 January 2020

"Whenever the US fulfills its obligations as stipulated under the nuclear agreement, we will be ready for further negotiations," Rouhani said during a visit to northwestern Ardabil Province to inaugurate several construction projects on Wednesday, ISNA reported.

In an internationally condemned move, US President Donald Trump decided to renege on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to force Iran into making substantial concessions. Iran has refused to budge, according to Financial Tribune.

"If the US is reluctant to verbally express how wrong they were, they can show it in action," Rouhani stressed, pointing to Iran’s readiness to listen to what Washington has to say if they return the favor.

Iran is gradually reducing its commitments under the nuclear deal in reaction to other parties' non-compliance. It has so far implemented four phases of its plan and vowed to take a new step every 60 days as long as it remains deprived of the benefits of JCPOA.

Rouhani addressed the US administration directly in parts of his speech. "Your [administration] is not superior to our establishment. We respect the American people and denounce your actions, but we emphasize that there is a way back," he said.

The US has been pushing for what US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has labeled a list of 12 "basic requirements" for a new treaty, including that Iran must stop enrichment of uranium and never pre-process plutonium, as well as allow "unqualified access to all [nuclear] sites throughout the country".

Despite severe sanctions imposed on key industries in Iran, the president's one-day trip to the city of Ardabil saw the inauguration of 93 construction projects.

Rouhani noted that if the nuclear deal was fully implemented, the country's oil revenue would have been $100 billion more than the current numbers. He, nevertheless, indicated that construction projects are a sign of Iran's iron will to "persevere under trying circumstances".