Iran considering whether to take part in next round of talks with US: Araghchi

Tehran, May 21 (IANS) Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran is considering whether to take part in the next round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.

He made the remarks at a ceremony in Tehran to mark the first anniversary of his predecessor Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's death in a helicopter crash on May 19 last year.

"What we are witnessing now are the US officials' unreasonable and illogical positions that have become public over the past few days. Iran immediately responded to these positions," he said.

Araghchi said, "We will stand against excessive demands at the negotiating table, but we have never abandoned diplomacy."

He stressed that Iran's position was clear that "(Uranium) enrichment will continue with or without an agreement."

The minister said the country "is ready to" provide transparency regarding its nuclear programme, and that in return, talks should be held on the removal of the sanctions imposed on Iran, and the embargoes should be lifted, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, in a speech delivered at a ceremony to commemorate former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's death in the same helicopter crash last year, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned the United States against making "nonsensical" remarks regarding Tehran's uranium enrichment, according to footage published on his website.

On Tuesday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran was reviewing a proposal it received for the fifth round of indirect talks with the United States.

Facilitated by Oman, Iranian and US delegations have so far held four rounds of indirect talks since April on Tehran's nuclear programme and the lifting of US sanctions.

In recent days, US officials have repeatedly demanded that Iran completely cease uranium enrichment, a request firmly rejected by Tehran, which considers the issue "non-negotiable".

--IANS

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