In Istanbul, Iranian FM says Tehran ready to talk to U.S. as Turkish FM accuses Israel of efforts to start war
"We see that Israel is trying to persuade the U.S. to launch a military attack on Iran. These Israeli efforts have the potential to severely damage the already fragile stability of our region."
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday Tehran iwa ready to resume nuclear talks with the U.S., provided Washington stopped threatening to attack Iran.
“The U.S. has repeatedly requested negotiations with us through various intermediaries and continues to renew these requests,” Araghchi said in a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Istanbul.
“We have no problem with engaging in negotiations, which must be fair and based on mutual respect. However, negotiations cannot begin with threats. They must set aside their threats. I will state this clearly as well: Iran’s missiles and Iran’s defense system will never be subject to any negotiations.”
Fidan said that Turkey was calling on the United States and Iran to come to the negotiating table to resolve issues between them, reiterating that Ankara opposes foreign intervention in Iran.
"On the other hand, we also see that Israel is trying to persuade the U.S. to launch a military attack on Iran. These Israeli efforts have the potential to severely damage the already fragile stability of our region. We hope that the U.S. administration will act with common sense and not allow this to happen. Israel must end its destabilizing policies in the region."
"Hopefully, taking all these systems into account, we will find a middle ground so neither will our region experience the consequences of a sudden, devastating war, nor will Iran be left isolated as it has been for many years, forcing it to resort to policies not accepted by the region."