Iran ‘still ready’ for talks if US lifts sanctions – President Rouhani

President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran is still ready for nuclear talks on condition the US first lifts sanctions. “If they are prepared to put aside the sanctions, we are ready to talk and negotiate, even at the level of heads of the 5+1 countries,” Rouhani said on state TV.

Rouhani has long demanded the lifting of US sanctions for Iran’s return to talks under the auspices of the P5+1 that reached a 2015 nuclear deal – the five veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. “This situation… is a cruel act by the White House. We have no choice but to resist and persevere against those imposers of sanctions,” AFP quoted Rouhani as saying. “At the same time, we have not closed the window for negotiations.”

“Any time America is prepared to lift and put aside its wrong, cruel, unlawful, incorrect, terrorist sanctions, immediately the heads of 5+1 can meet and we have no problem,” the president said.

Rouhani also called Wednesday for the release of any unarmed and innocent people who were detained during protests against gasoline price hikes, after two weeks of violent clashes, Reuters said.