Iran Could Just Negotiate With The United States, As Long As There Is Equality

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not rule out possible negotiations with Washington. But Araqchi said negotiations could only be carried out if the two countries had "equality".

Last week, US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing nuclear negotiations, but also warned "there are two ways to deal with Iran: militarily, or you make a deal".

"If we enter negotiations while the other side puts maximum pressure on it, we will negotiate from a weak position and will achieve nothing," Araqchi told the Iranian newspaper.

"Other parties must believe that the pressure policy is ineffective just so that we can sit at the negotiating table with equal requirements," he continued.

Khamenei said talks with the Trump administration would only strengthen the ties of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran.

In 2018, under the leadership of Trump's first president, the US withdrew from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with the world's major powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy.

Tehran reacted a year later by violating nuclear restrictions in the deal.

Khamenei, who holds the final say in terms of Iran's state affairs, said last week Tehran would not be intimidated for negotiations.

While leaving the door open for a nuclear agreement with Tehran, Trump reimposed the "maximum pressure" campaign he implemented during his first term as president to isolate Iran from the global economy and push its oil exports to zero.