Pezeshkian: Iran intended to resume negotiations with the US, but Khamenei opposed

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced in parliament that he had intended to resume negotiations with Washington regarding the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions, but Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, opposed dialogue with the United States, IRNA reports.

“I believed that we should start a dialogue [with the U.S.], but the supreme leader stated that there should be no negotiations with the United States. As a result, we announced that we would not engage in dialogue with America,” Pezeshkian said.

At the end of January, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Tehran’s negotiations with European countries were under way.

According to him, restoring Iran’s trust in the participants of the nuclear deal is possible through concrete actions and policies rather than mere rhetoric. The minister emphasized that the country’s authorities will make a decision on negotiations if they see an opportunity to hold them on equal terms.