TEHRAN: Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, announced on Tuesday, that he has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pursue negotiations with the United States if “suitable conditions” are met. Pezeshkian added that “suitable conditions” refer to an environment free from threats and unreasonable expectations, allowing the dialogues to proceed “fairly and equitably” while respecting the principles of dignity, wisdom, and national interest. He emphasized that these negotiations will be conducted within the framework of the country’s national interests. According to the President, this directive was issued in response to a proposal from the U.S. president and requests from several regional governments. Previously, Donald Trump had announced that his representatives were in talks with the Islamic Republic, warning of consequences if the negotiations yielded no results. Western media have reported that talks between Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, and Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy, are scheduled to take place this coming Friday. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that if the Islamic Republic is unwilling to negotiate regarding its nuclear program, “the Pentagon is more prepared than ever for confrontation and military action.”
