'Still willing to negotiate with the US', says Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has recently said that his country is still open to holding talks with US President Trump and his government, as per international media reports. In an interview, he said he would never rule out the possibility that people will change their approach and recognise the realities. 

'US left the negotiation table' 

Talking to international media on Saturday, he said that for the Iranians it does not matter who is sitting in the White House, what matters is how they behave. He added that the Trump administration can still correct its past, lift sanctions, and come back to the negotiation table. Zarif also said that Iran is still at the negotiating table. 

Following the Iranian missile attack, Trump had imposed tough sanctions on Iran which has nearly destroyed its economy. Reportedly, Zarif did suggest that Iran was prepared for the conflict, though he wasn’t specific about the details.

Elaborating on his statement, he said that the US had inflicted great harm on the Iranian people and the day will come when they will have to compensate for that. He also said that the Iranians have a lot of patience. 

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On the other hand, Trump had since long maintained that the 2015 nuclear deal needs to be renegotiated because it did not address Iran’s ballistic missile programme or it’s involvement in regional conflicts. Following the US drone strike on January 3, Iran said that it was no longer willing to abide by the limitations of the deal to its enrichment activities and fired its missiles on US troops in Iraq in Retaliation. Meanwhile, the other signatories to the nuclear deal - Germany, France, Britain, China, and Russia have been struggling to keep it alive.

Last week, Zarif slammed the United Kingdom over their support to the United States amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Taking to Twitter, Zarif stated that the UK was 'parroting' US lines and blamed Washington for the rise of terrorism in the region.

Zarif also mentioned that the E-3 is trying to save the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by resorting to bullying. The E-3 comprises France, Germany, and Italy. 

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