Iran's ex-president Rouhani urges talks with US to ease tensions
Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday said that reducing tensions with the United States through negotiations was a matter of national interest.
“Relations with Europe, our neighbors, and the East and the West, even tension with the US, if we can reduce it, if it is in our national interest, what is wrong with that? Not only is it not wrong, but it is also our duty and obligation,” Iranian media quoted Rouhani as saying in a meeting with his advisers on Sunday.
“We must strengthen our relations with the world. Whoever is ready to negotiate, if we see that negotiation benefits the country, our national interests and national security, then we should talk,” he added.
Rouhani, who served as president when Iran signed the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, had described negotiations with the US as “necessary and obligatory” in an earlier meeting with his advisers on August 14.
His remarks come after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected calls by Tehran moderates for direct negotiations with the United States, insisting that Washington’s hostility cannot be resolved through talks.
“Those who say, ‘Why don’t you negotiate directly with the United States and solve the issues,’ are superficial; because the reality is different," Khamenei said during a meeting with his supporters in Tehran.
"Given America’s true objective in its hostility toward Iran, these issues are unsolvable."
Iran and the United States concluded five rounds of mostly indirect talks in May this year.
A sixth round was scheduled to take place on June 15 in Oman. However, it was suspended after Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 13, prompting Tehran to declare the talks "meaningless" and cancel the session.
On June 22, the US carried out airstrikes on Iran’s key nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. A US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on June 24, which ended the 12-day air war.
President Trump told reporters in mid-July that the urgency to engage with Iran had vanished after US strikes.
Earlier, Iran International reported that Washington ignored at least 15 messages from Iran seeking renewed negotiations.
