Above photo: IRNA.
‘The ball is in America’s court.’
Iran’s deputy foreign minister says ‘zero enrichment’ and giving up ballistic missiles is ‘off the table’.
Iran has offered to compromise uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief, putting the “ball in America’s court” amid ongoing negotiations with the US to avoid war.
In an interview with the BBC on 15 February, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi stated that Tehran had offered to dilute its 60 percent-enriched uranium in an effort to reach a compromise with the US President Donald Trump, who has been amassing US forces in the region in preparation for possible renewed attacks on the Islamic Republic.
“We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC. “Sanctions have to also be on the table.”
As a result of this offer, the deputy foreign minister said the ball was “in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal.”
“If they are sincere, I’m sure we will be on the road to an agreement,” he added.
The US and Iran held a round of indirect talks in Oman earlier this month. Takht-Ravanchi said they had been “more or less in a positive direction, but it is too early to judge.” A second round of talks is planned for Tuesday in Geneva.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin has insisted that Iran must give up its nuclear program entirely, as well as its ballistic missiles, and end support for resistance movements in West Asia, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.
However, Takht-Ravanchi confirmed that Iran will not agree to such terms. The “issue of zero enrichment is not an issue anymore, and as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table anymore,” he stated.
“When we were attacked by Israelis and Americans, our missiles came to our rescue, so how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities?” Takht-Ravanchi stressed.
During Israel’s and the US’s unprovoked attack on Iran in June, the Islamic Republic was able to retaliate by firing ballistic missiles and drones that caused significant damage in Tel Aviv and other areas. The Iranian response ended the war after 12 days.
On Friday, Reuters reported that the US military is preparing for a “sustained, weeks-long” operation far exceeding the June attack. The day before, Trump ordered his military to deploy a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
Regarding the US military build-up in the region, Takht-Ravanchi warned that another war would be “traumatic, bad for everybody… everybody will suffer, particularly those who have initiated this aggression.”
“If we feel this is an existential threat, we will respond accordingly,” he added.
“It is not wise to even think about such a very dangerous scenario because the whole region will be in a mess.”
Iran has warned that US military bases in the Gulf states would be regarded as legitimate targets.
During the June war, Iranian missiles struck the US military’s Al-Udeid base in Qatar, but avoided causing casualties among US troops.
However, when the BBC asked Takht-Ravanchi about the 40,000 US soldiers now stationed in the region, he replied that in the event of a second US attack, “It would be a different game.”
The deputy foreign minister noted that Washington’s regional allies do not want to see a war break out. “We see an almost unanimous agreement in the region against war,” he said.
He also noted that Trump has sent mixed messages, at times saying he hopes to resolve issues with Iran peacefully, and at other times saying he wants regime change.
Amid the negotiations, Iran has “to be alert so we are not surprised,” Takht-Ravanchi stated.
On Saturday, Axios reported that Trump and Netanyahu agreed to intensify pressure on Tehran by seeking to cut off the sale of Iranian oil to China.
The two leaders, who met at the White House on Wednesday, agreed to “go full force with maximum pressure against Iran, for example, regarding Iranian oil sales to China,” according to a senior US official.
According to the report, US officials believe some 80 percent of Iran’s oil is purchased by China, giving Iran’s economy a lifeline amid US sanctions.
Trump stepped up Washington’s economic warfare against Iran during his first term in 2019 and escalated it again upon returning to office in January last year.
In December, the US Treasury manufactured a US dollar shortage in Iran that led to the crash of the country’s currency. The crash helped spark protests that in January turned into violent riots orchestrated by assets of Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, and the US State Department.
