WANA (Feb 25) – Iran is ready to reach an agreement with the United States as quickly as possible in the upcoming round of indirect nuclear talks, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, said, while warning that any military attack on Iran would trigger a response that could destabilize the entire region.

 

Majid Takht-Ravanchi, in an interview, responded to threats by U.S. President Donald Trump against Iran and the possibility of a Washington attack on the country, issues regarding the recent unrest in Iran, and Iran-U.S. negotiations.

 

Below is the full text of the interview with the senior diplomat of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

 

Do you expect to face the Americans directly in the negotiating room?

We will continue our talks in Geneva within the same framework we had in Muscat and Geneva last week, so nothing will change – we will proceed as previously agreed.

 

Does that mean direct negotiations?

We usually begin with indirect negotiations through the Omani foreign minister – last time in Geneva, Rafael Grossi was also present – at first, the indirect negotiations were conducted by the Omani foreign minister and Mr. Grossi – later, we had an opportunity to shake hands – and it was a brief direct meeting lasting a few minutes.

 

The Omani foreign minister has said that on Thursday, we will move toward finalizing an agreement. Are you close to a deal?

We are ready to reach an agreement as soon as possible – we will do whatever is necessary to make that happen – we will enter the negotiating room in Geneva with complete sincerity and good faith – and we hope that this goodwill and positive approach will be reciprocated by the Americans – if political will exists on all sides, in my view an agreement can be reached as soon as possible.

 

It has been reported that Iran is revising a proposed text to present to the U.S. in these talks – does this proposal include issues beyond the nuclear program?

No – the subject of the negotiations is the nuclear issue – and this has been agreed upon by all parties – this is what we addressed in the first two rounds in Muscat and Geneva – and it will also be the case in the upcoming Geneva meeting.

 

To clarify for those who do not follow this daily, there will be no negotiations on other issues, such as ballistic missiles.

As I said, the only subject of the upcoming Geneva meeting is the nuclear issue.

 

Regarding the consequences of the January protests in Iran – people frequently message us saying they cannot get their voices heard due to internet restrictions – another reporter has said protesters are being horrifically executed in prison. Has anyone been executed in prison due to the recent unrest?

No – that is not correct – in fact, the internet is connected – it has not been shut down – people have access to international internet – many foreign journalists are present in Tehran – ambassadors are in Tehran and can testify that life is proceeding normally – and all this speculation is unrealistic.

 

Another reporter interviewed someone who claims security forces are searching for protesters in schools and trying to identify those who protested in January – is this true? – Are security forces still pursuing individuals who participated in the protests?

No – there is absolutely nothing like that – all these lies are raised to provoke the situation – how can such claims be justified? – How can it be proven that this version of ongoing events in Tehran is correct? – People can use various methods, including artificial intelligence, to produce such audio. I can tell you that schools are open – people are sending their children to school – and nothing of this sort has happened in Iran.

 

The United States has deployed significant military forces in the region around Iran and is trying to bring your country to the negotiating table through a limited military strike, which is one of the president’s options. How would Iran respond to a military attack?

We hope we do not face such a situation, because once a war begins, it cannot be contained. How can a war be ended with a single strike? – This is a real gamble from our perspective – we hope it does not happen – but if an attack or aggression against Iran occurs, we will respond according to our defense planning – everyone should know that starting a war may be possible, but ending it is not easy – moreover, the entire region would suffer from the consequences of aggression against Iran.

 

Are you saying Iran is prepared to attack its neighbors, such as the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia, countries with oil facilities that may not necessarily attack Iran?

No – we have the best relations with our neighbors and are on good terms with all of them – what I mean is that if the United States attacks Iran, how can Iran be expected to remain silent? – We would have to respond to U.S. assets and targets in the region; however, our definite preference is to move along the path of peace; that is why the upcoming Geneva meeting is very important. Why should we spend our time on something that would be harmful to the entire region and to everyone?

 

Let us focus on diplomacy – because diplomacy benefits all – there is no military solution to Iran’s nuclear file – instead of warmongering – instead of deploying forces and sending military fleets to our region – it is better to focus on diplomacy – what is the purpose of sending forces and military fleets to our region? – Do they want to intimidate Iran? – That will not happen – Iranians have proven that they are resilient and steadfast – therefore, it is better to focus on the real task, which is diplomacy.

 

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