TEHRAN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iran is ready to do "whatever necessary" to reach a nuclear agreement with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi said on Tuesday.
Ravanchi made the remarks in an interview with NPR radio while commenting on how close Tehran and Washington are to a possible agreement in their indirect negotiations, of which two rounds were held earlier this month and a new round is expected to take place in Geneva on Thursday.
"We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible. We want to do whatever necessary to make it happen. We will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with all sincerity and goodwill," said Ravanchi.
"We hope that our goodwill and good approach would be reciprocated by the Americans, and if there is a political will on all sides, I believe that the deal can be reached as soon as possible," he added, calling for concentrating on diplomacy, "which will prove good for everybody."
Meanwhile, Ravanchi stressed that as agreed by the involved parties, Iran's nuclear issue is the sole subject of the ongoing negotiations.
He reiterated that if there would be a U.S. attack, Iran will have to respond by targeting U.S. assets in the region, emphasizing that if a war is started, ending it will not be easy and "the entire region will suffer" as a result.
Ravanchi's remarks came amid a huge U.S. military buildup near Iran and reports that U.S. President Donald Trump was considering launching an initial strike on Iran "in coming days." ■
