Iran’s President Rouhani has temporarily rejected the offer of talks by US President Trump. Trump should first withdraw the partial exit from the nuclear agreement and the sanctions.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has temporarily rejected talks by US President Donald Trump. „Surrender is incompatible with our mentality and religion, so we will not capitulate in this situation,“ Rouhani said, according to the web portal of the Presidential Office.
He did not completely rule out negotiations with Trump. His condition was, however, that the US President first withdraws the withdrawal from the Vienna Convention on nuclear energy and the sanctions against Tehran.
Rouhani: Iran in a difficult position
Trump had suggested to the Iranian leadership on Thursday to call him to discuss the conflict between the two countries. Rouhani admitted that Iran is currently in a difficult position. At the same time, he emphasized that the country would resist and seek suitable solutions together.
According to media reports, Trump has also given a phone number to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents US diplomatic interests in Iran, under which Rouhani could call him. This led to mocking reactions in social media, including the call: „Call me first“.
Comparison with Iraq War 1980
Rouhani compared the US „economic war“ against Iran with the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88. This war had started with an attack by Saddam Hussein’s regime on Iran, killing hundreds of thousands of people. The current „war“ is more problematic. „At that time (1980) we did not have the problems with our oil export and cooperation with international banks,“ said the Iranian president.
The latest US sanctions have particularly affected Iran’s oil exports, the country’s main source of income. Foreign trade was also virtually paralyzed by US sanctions in the banking sector. The international banks do not want to finance Iranian trade projects for fear of US fines.
Green: Maas should travel to Tehran
The Greens are urging Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to visit Tehran in view of the escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf – and „in a hurry“. The federal government must do more to preserve the nuclear deal with Iran, said Omid Nouripour, foreign policy spokesman for the Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag, the „mirror“.
For crisis diplomacy direct talks are necessary, underlined Nouripour. „Against the background of increasing danger of war in the Persian Gulf, Heiko Maas should travel to Tehran as quickly as possible to try and keep Iran in the nuclear agreement.“ The situation is now „too serious for appeals from afar“.
