Exclusive: Iran open to resuming nuclear talks with the US but won’t shift its conditions, supreme leader’s adviser says

By Frederik Pleitgen, Claudia Otto and Abbas Al Lawati, CNN

Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Iran is willing to resume nuclear talks with the United States if they are conducted respectfully, a senior Iranian official told CNN, while insisting Tehran will not move from the position it held before the US and Israel attacked it in June.

“They have to make the first move to show that they are ready to engage with us on the conditions that we put… it has to be based on equal footing and mutual respect,” said Kamal Kharrazi, foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an exclusive interview with CNN from Tehran. “The agenda would be prepared in advance to ensure the clarity of substance and the process of discussions.”

“Unfortunately, President (Donald) Trump does not believe in diplomatic engagement but rather prefers to use force to achieve his objectives,” he added.

Kharrazi indicated that Iran’s conditions for a rapprochement with Washington have not changed since the US and Israel struck its nuclear facilities in June, adding that uranium enrichment will continue because the country needs the fuel for its power plants and for medical purposes. Tehran’s ballistic missile program, which he said is expanding, will also be off the negotiating table. “It is only the nuclear issue we will discuss with the United States,” he said.

The Trump administration and Iran were in the middle of talks to settle their dispute in June when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, eventually drawing in Washington, which carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, the first direct US attack inside Iran.

Almost five months on, the damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities has yet to be assessed, Kharrazi said.

On Sunday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told CNN that despite serious damage to “infrastructure, machineries” and “buildings,” the country’s nuclear program remained “intact.” On the same day, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that no uranium enrichment was taking place “right now” because the country’s facilities had been attacked.

During the Iran-US talks in the summer, Washington had insisted that Iran stop enriching uranium altogether, while Tehran was adamant about continuing domestic enrichment to a purity that cannot be used to build nuclear bombs. Highly enriched uranium is a key component of a nuclear weapon.

Kharrazi said the “degree of enrichment,” not enrichment itself, would be the focus of potential negotiations with the US.

Asked if he is concerned about another military confrontation with the US or Israel, he said: “Everything is possible. But we are ready for that.”

CNN reported in June that Washington had made a proposal for a nuclear deal under which the US would invest in Iran’s civilian nuclear power program and join a consortium that would oversee the enrichment of low-level uranium inside Iran for an unspecified amount of time. That potential consortium would be expected to include Middle Eastern nations and the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

At the time, Iranian officials repeatedly said they are open to the idea of an enrichment consortium but insisted Iran must be able to keep control of its own enrichment capabilities.

Asked by CNN if there is room to reach an understanding with the US on Iran’s nuclear program, including on a potential consortium, Kharrazi said, “I think so.”

“If there would be genuine negotiations between Iran and the United States, there are ways and means (of) how to ensure that Iran can continue its enrichment and at the same time assure the others that it’s not going to look for nuclear weapons.”

Kharrazi also had a message for Trump.

“Start with a positive approach with Iran. If it will be positive, certainly it will be reciprocated. But for that, they (the US) have to refrain from any force against Iran,” he said. “They have tried that and they now understand that it’s not acceptable and it’s not workable.”

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