Iran's president signals openness to direct US talks if hostility ends

Shafaq News/ Iran is open to direct talks with the United States if Washington shows, through action, that it is no longer hostile towards the Islamic Republic, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday.

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a news conference in Tehran when asked if Iran would consider direct negotiations with the U.S. to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

"We are not hostile towards the U.S.; they should end their hostility towards us by showing their goodwill in practice," Pezeshkian said. "We are brothers with the Americans as well."

The 2015 nuclear agreement, which aimed to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief, was abandoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018. His administration re-imposed stringent sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to gradually breach the deal's nuclear restrictions.

Since taking office in January 2021, President Joe Biden has sought to renegotiate a revival of the pact. However, Iran has so far refused direct talks with the U.S., preferring to engage through European or regional intermediaries.