US must follow confidence-building approach for talks with Iran: MP

An Iranian legislator says as long as the United States refuses to adopt a confidence-building and practical approach towards Iran, Tehran-Washington relations will not be normalized.

“Once the United States exhibits a confidence-building and realistic behavior, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take a proper decision concerning talks with the US. Therefore, no decision can be made about negotiations with the United States unless such a change of behavior is displayed by Americans,” Esmail Kowsari, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Friday.

He further noted that the US should lift all sanctions imposed on Iran, transfer Iran’s nuclear dossier from the United Nations Security Council to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and unfreeze Iranian assets in order to win Tehran’s trust.

“Following these measures, Iran and the United States can enter talks from the same standing,” Kowsari stated.

Speaking on his first press conference in Tehran on August 6, President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic Republic is closely monitoring all measures taken by the US and will respond properly to Washington’s “practical and constructive” moves.

“What is important for us is the US administration’s practical response and not statements,” he said.

Rouhani also called on Washington to hear the Iranian nation’s message, saying, “If we see that the US is serious in resolving the problems, we will also be serious.”

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program and have used the unfounded accusation as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran’s civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.