Iran ready for nuclear programme talks if West shows seriousness

TEHRAN: Iran is ready to sit down and discuss its nuclear programme with Western countries but only if they show they are "serious", spokesperson from the foreign ministry was quoted as saying in an interview on Thursday. 

"We have said several times that we are ready for discussions, but only if the other side is serious about this," Esmaeil Baqaei said.

Recently, Tehran has signalled the West countless time of its willingness to reach an agreement over its nuclear programme. 

In an interview with Sky News posted to his official Telegram channel on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the new US administration should work to win back Tehran's trust if it wants a new round of nuclear talks.

In Thursday's interview, Baqaei expressed hope that new US President Donald Trump would adopt a "realistic approach" towards Iran.

During his first term that ended in 2021, Trump pursued a policy of "maximum pressure", withdrawing the United States from a landmark nuclear deal which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

Asked about the possibility of new talks, Baqaei was quoted on Thursday as saying Iran's policy would depend on "the actions of the other parties".

Tehran adhered to the deal — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — until a year after Washington's withdrawal in 2018, but then began rolling back its commitments.

Efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear pact have since faltered.

Iran has repeatedly expressed willingness to revive the nuclear deal, and President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office last July, has called for an end to his country's isolation.

Before Trump's return to the White House, Iranian officials held nuclear talks with counterparts from Britain, France and Germany that both sides described as "frank and constructive".

In December, the three Western governments accused Tehran of growing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to "unprecedented levels" without "any credible civilian justification" and discussed the possible reimposition of sanctions.

On Thursday, Baqaei warned that if this happened, Iran's adherence to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "would no longer have any meaning".

Under the NPT, signatory states are obliged to declare their nuclear stockpiles and place them under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).