Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman: America's Negotiation Claims Cannot Be Taken Seriously

The spokesman for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry recently questioned America's seriousness regarding potential talks between Tehran and Washington, stating that Iran will continue its nuclear program, which he described as 'peaceful.' On Monday, February 18, Ismail Baqaei responded to America's repeated offers for dialogue, made by Donald Trump and recently by his representative in the Middle East, saying that 'America's words cannot be taken seriously.' According to the Mehr news agency, he stated, 'These words cannot be taken seriously because words must correspond with actions. You cannot threaten destruction on one side and claim to be in favor of dialogue and conversation on the other.' This stance appears to be a reaction to recent comments from Trump’s close officials, who have spoken about the activities of the Islamic Republic in interviews and press conferences over the past two days. Two senior U.S. officials stated that Trump is very serious about preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and all options are on the table; the U.S. Secretary of State also indicated that Iran continues enriching uranium and supporting terrorism, and no contact has been established so far. These remarks were made by the two senior U.S. officials on February 17 in interviews with two different media outlets. The National Security Advisor in his interview with Fox News said that Trump is willing to talk to Iran 'if they are willing to completely abandon their [nuclear] program, and not the games we have seen from Iran before.' Baqaei responded on Monday by saying, 'Everything being done as part of Iran's peaceful nuclear program is based on Iran's inalienable rights as an NPT member.' The U.S. National Security Advisor also reminded that the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned last year that Iran's nuclear program is 'only weeks away, not months' from developing a nuclear weapon. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman left this part of the American official's remarks unanswered and instead attacked Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the Agency, stating that he 'should express opinions and act within the framework of the duties and responsibilities of this technical body. Political comments are not helpful.' Iran and six world powers reached a nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA in July 2015, during Barack Obama's presidency. Donald Trump harshly criticized this 'flawed agreement' during his previous presidency and ultimately announced the U.S. withdrawal from this agreement in May 2018. In his interview last week with Fox News, Trump called that agreement 'a road to nuclear weapons' and emphasized that a new agreement must be able to monitor, inspect, and review Iran's nuclear activities and ensure that 'it is no longer nuclear.' Iranian officials have always claimed they are not seeking to build nuclear weapons; however, some of them have recently spoken about the 'possibility of changing the nuclear doctrine.'