Iranian President Masoud Pazakhstani said today that his country is ready for dialogue "on an equal footing" with the United States, but did not say whether he had accepted direct talks proposed by US President Donald Trump.
The US president, who has invited Tehran to negotiate over the Iranian nuclear program, has threatened in recent days to bomb Iran if diplomacy fails.
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Iranian authorities have expressed their willingness to talk to the US, but have rejected direct talks under threat and pressure.
"Iran wants dialogue on an equal basis," Pezeshkian said, according to the Iranian presidency.
Trump said on Thursday that he would prefer to have "direct negotiations" with Iran because "it goes faster and you understand the other side much better than when you go through intermediaries."
The Iranians "wanted mediators, but I don't think that's the case yet," Trump added.
Pezeskian asked what the point of threats was if negotiations were desired.
"Today, America is humiliating not only Iran, but the entire world," said Pezeshkian, alluding to the tariff measures that Trump has imposed on allies.
Western countries, led by the United States, have suspected for decades that Tehran wants to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies this and says its nuclear activities are for civilian purposes only, particularly in energy.
In 2015, Iran concluded an agreement in Vienna with France, Germany, Great Britain, China, Russia and the US to limit its nuclear program, in return for the easing of international sanctions imposed on Tehran over that program.
However, in 2018, Trump, then the first US president (2017-2021), withdrew his country from the agreement and reimposed tough sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran increased its reserves of uranium enriched to 60 percent, while 90 percent is needed to make a nuclear weapon.
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