TEHRAN, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said here Monday that Iran is reviewing the details and general outlines of the potential initiation of negotiations with the United States.
He made the remarks at a weekly press conference while commenting on reports by Western media claiming that negotiations between Tehran and Washington could start within the next few days in Türkiye.
Baghaei noted that Iran is at the decision-making stage and is taking into consideration different aspects and angles of the issue, stressing that time is of great importance to Iran "as we have seen abuses by the other sides of the negotiation process in certain stages of the previous talks."
He said regional countries are acting as intermediaries exchanging messages between the two sides.
Over the past decade, Iran has frequently seen deception and non-commitment to promises from the United States, which culminated in June last year when Israel and the United States attacked the country, Baghaei said, adding that the other side's behavior features a "clear contradiction."
Baghaei said Iran has always proved its steadfastness in adopting diplomatic approaches and using diplomacy to advance its national interests and protect collective peace in the region.
The removal or reduction of U.S. sanctions will be an achievement for Iran whenever it takes place, he said, noting that Iran demands the removal of sanctions, as a priority, in return for building trust and removing concerns about the nature of its nuclear program.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have remained high amid increased U.S. military activity in the region. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and multiple warships to the Middle East late January.
On Sunday, Trump said if Tehran fails to strike a nuclear deal with Washington, "we will find out" whether Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was right to warn that a U.S. attack could ignite a regional war.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with CNN that a "just, fair, and equitable" nuclear agreement with the United States remains achievable in the short term, provided Washington abandons its policy of coercion. ■
