Rohani: Iran is ready for dialogue with Washington if sanctions are lifted

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is ready to hold talks with the United States if Washington lifts sanctions and returns to a nuclear deal in 2015 after withdrawing from it last year, Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said.

"We always believe in the talks," Rowhani said in a speech broadcast on state television on Sunday. "If they lift sanctions, end economic pressures and return to agreement, we are ready to talk to America today, now and anywhere."

The Iranian president stressed that his country's patience with the American position that rejects the agreement will not be endless.

"We are ready to negotiate at all times if they are honest, and if they lift their boycott of us," Rowhani said in a speech in the northern province of Khorasan. "Getting out of the agreement was not our idea, and you are the ones who did not abide by your commitments."

"We have gone through harsh conditions, but our current situation is better than the situation two months ago. We have changed the policy of strategic patience with the strategy of reciprocity, step by step."

The administration of US President Donald Trump says it is open to negotiations with Iran to reach a broader agreement on nuclear and security issues.

However, before any talks, Iran had to allow it to export the amount of crude oil it exported before the United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018.

European concern
Tensions between the United States and Iran have soared, peaking at the United States' intention to launch air strikes on Iran last month, and Trump retreated at the last moment.

For its part, France, Britain and Germany said on Sunday that they are concerned about the escalation of tension in the Gulf and the risk of the collapse of the nuclear agreement with Iran, calling for the resumption of dialogue between all parties.

"We believe that the time has come to act responsibly and find ways to stop the escalation of tension and resume dialogue," the three European countries said in a joint statement issued by the French president's office.

Despite his call for talks with Iran's leaders, Trump said on Wednesday that US sanctions on Iran "will soon increase significantly."

In response to US sanctions that have markedly targeted Iran's main foreign revenue inflow of crude oil exports, Tehran announced in May its intention to reduce its commitments under the agreement.

In defiance of a warning from European parties to the agreement that Iran should continue to be fully committed, Tehran has raised its uranium enrichment rate to 3.67 percent, which is allowed by the agreement.

France, Britain and Germany, which are trying to salvage the nuclear deal to protect Iran's economy from sanctions, said in a joint statement: "The risks call on all parties to stop and consider the possible consequences of the actions they have taken."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that "the Europeans' talk about the need to preserve the nuclear agreement is not enough and we have not seen any practical action to achieve that."

Tehran has stressed that it will continue to reduce its commitments to the agreement if the Europeans do not fulfill their obligations to ensure Iranian interests under the agreement.