Iran Wants ‘Economic Benefits' Before Holding Talks with US
Iran said on Tuesday it will only sit at the negotiation table with the US administration if it gains 'economic benefits,' adding that its Foreign Ministry is drafting a response to President Donald Trump's invitation to talks.
Speaking to Al-Alam television, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf said Trump 'wants to impose his terms by force before sitting at the negotiating table, something Iran will not accept.'
He then criticized Washington for failing to address the benefits Iran would gain from accepting the US demands.
'Iran does not say it will not negotiate,' the official said.
But he noted that his country will sit at the negotiating table only if it benefits economically from the nuclear deal, such as exporting its oil, allowing Iranian banks to financially deal with the world, and investors to operate across the country.
Regarding Trump's invitation letter to talks, Qalibaf said the Foreign Ministry will prepare an official response.
He blamed Trump for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal during his first term in office, despite the United States having signed the agreement.
Meanwhile, a US spy drone retreated from near Iranian airspace after encountering Iranian F-14 fighter jets and reconnaissance drones, Iran's Tasnim said on Tuesday.
Iran's armed forces remain on high alert, prepared for 'full-scale defense and a severe counterattack against enemy interests' in the Middle East, it said.
Meanwhile on Monday, Iranian deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran 'remains committed' to cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In a post on his X account, Gharibabadi hailed the 'frank and constructive' discussion he had with Rafael Grossi, the IAEA chief, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna.
Gharibabadi said Iran and the IAEA could resolve their differences when the agency is free from external political pressure and adopts an 'independent, technical, impartial, and professional' approach.
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