Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he is ready for direct talks with the United States of America, but on the condition that Washington and the West stop putting pressure on his country.
The West suspects that Iran is actually trying to build atomic weapons under the guise of a peaceful nuclear program
"You stop holding a gun to the face of the Iranian nation, and I personally enter into talks with you," Ahmadinejad said at a rally in Tehran marking the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Ahmadinejad made this statement after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - whose word is the last on all matters of key importance to the country - practically closed the door to direct negotiations with Washington as long as sanctions against Iran and other pressure measures on that country remain in force.
The President of the country, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is leaving office in a few months, so his statement today can be interpreted as an attempt to leave an impression of relevance on the political scene, the Associated Press assesses.
The West suspects that Iran is actually trying to build atomic weapons under the guise of a peaceful nuclear program, while Tehran persistently rejects such claims.
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