DUBAI, March 11. /TASS/. Tehran will only engage in talks with Washington after US President Donald Trump removes all anti-Iranian sanctions, an Iranian lawmaker said.
"If Trump truly believes in dialogue, the initial step toward this should be the complete removal of the severe sanctions. After that, talks should proceed considering [Iran’s] national interests. Under the decision of the supreme leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei], we will sit at the negotiating table when we are sure that our national interests are secured," Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, told the Defa Press portal.
Trump said on March 7 that he had sent a message to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing talks about Tehran's nuclear program. In response to Trump's letter, Khamenei stated that Iran would not negotiate with the US, as Washington was primarily concerned with its own interests.
Bloomberg reported earlier, citing its sources, that Moscow had shown readiness to help Washington with talks with Tehran. Russian president press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow saw the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, which is of serious concern for Washington.
On February 4, Trump signed an executive order to reapply maximum pressure on Iran by intensifying Washington’s efforts to reduce Iran’s oil exports. At the same time, the US leader did not rule out a potential meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and said he wanted to make a "great deal" with Tehran.