Iran Rejects ‘Playing With Words’
U.S. Wants Talks With ‘Maximum Pressure’ in Place
BELLINZONA, Switzerland (Dispatches) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday his country was ready to talk with Tehran "with no preconditions", but with no indication lifting sanctions over Iran's nuclear program is on the table.
The top U.S. diplomat, who is considered a hawk on the Iran file, appeared to soften the U.S. stance somewhat following weeks of escalating tensions with Tehran.
"We are prepared to engage in a conversation with no preconditions," Pompeo said in Switzerland, which in the absence of U.S.-Iranian diplomatic ties represents Washington's interests in the Islamic Republic.
"We are ready to sit down with them," Pompeo told a joint news conference with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis at the impressive medieval Castelgrande castle in Bellinzona, nestled in the Alps in Switzerland's Italian-speaking Ticino region.
He was reacting to comments made by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday insisting that his country would not be "bullied" into talks with the United States, and that any dialogue between the two countries needed to be grounded in "respect".
But Pompeo appeared to immediately backpedal on the offer to have condition-free talks with Iran, stating that Washington was "certainly prepared to have (a) conversation when the Iranians will prove they are behaving as a normal nation."
Pompeo's comments mark the first time the Trump administration has offered no-strings-attached talks since the recent escalation began in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
But Pompeo stressed that "the American effort to fundamentally reverse the malign activity of this Islamic Republic” is going to continue.
In other words, Washington has no intention to let up on its campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran.
Pompeo himself last year laid out 12 draconian demands he said Iran would need to meet before reaching a "new deal" with the United States, essentially addressing every aspect of Iran's missile program and what Washington calls its "malign influence" across the region.
Washington has since reimposed sanctions, and has been locked in an increasingly tense standoff with Tehran.
Last month it deployed an aircraft carrier task force, B-52 bombers and an amphibious assault ship to the Persian Gulf, along with additional troops.
The U.S. military said on Sunday a B-52 bomber and the aircraft carrier dispatched to the Mideast had conducted a joint exercise together in the Arabian Sea.
The Air Force said in a statement that the exercise saw F/A-18 Super Hornets, MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters and E-2D Growlers from the USS Abraham Lincoln fly with the B-52 bomber.
The Air Force said the aircraft also "simulated strike operations” in the exercise, which took place on Saturday.
In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi dismissed Pompeo’s offer as "playing with words” without any change in behavior.
"For the Islamic Republic of Iran, playing with words and expressing hidden goals in the form of new words is not the criteria for action,” he said.
"Rather, a change in the general approach and practical behavior of the United States towards the Iranian nation is a criterion; whereas, Mr. Pumpo's emphasis on the maximum pressure campaign on Iran reflects the continuation of the previous incorrect approach that needs to be corrected,” Mousavi added.
The top U.S. diplomat, who is considered a hawk on the Iran file, appeared to soften the U.S. stance somewhat following weeks of escalating tensions with Tehran.
"We are prepared to engage in a conversation with no preconditions," Pompeo said in Switzerland, which in the absence of U.S.-Iranian diplomatic ties represents Washington's interests in the Islamic Republic.
"We are ready to sit down with them," Pompeo told a joint news conference with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis at the impressive medieval Castelgrande castle in Bellinzona, nestled in the Alps in Switzerland's Italian-speaking Ticino region.
He was reacting to comments made by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday insisting that his country would not be "bullied" into talks with the United States, and that any dialogue between the two countries needed to be grounded in "respect".
But Pompeo appeared to immediately backpedal on the offer to have condition-free talks with Iran, stating that Washington was "certainly prepared to have (a) conversation when the Iranians will prove they are behaving as a normal nation."
Pompeo's comments mark the first time the Trump administration has offered no-strings-attached talks since the recent escalation began in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
But Pompeo stressed that "the American effort to fundamentally reverse the malign activity of this Islamic Republic” is going to continue.
In other words, Washington has no intention to let up on its campaign of "maximum pressure" on Iran.
Pompeo himself last year laid out 12 draconian demands he said Iran would need to meet before reaching a "new deal" with the United States, essentially addressing every aspect of Iran's missile program and what Washington calls its "malign influence" across the region.
Washington has since reimposed sanctions, and has been locked in an increasingly tense standoff with Tehran.
Last month it deployed an aircraft carrier task force, B-52 bombers and an amphibious assault ship to the Persian Gulf, along with additional troops.
The U.S. military said on Sunday a B-52 bomber and the aircraft carrier dispatched to the Mideast had conducted a joint exercise together in the Arabian Sea.
The Air Force said in a statement that the exercise saw F/A-18 Super Hornets, MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters and E-2D Growlers from the USS Abraham Lincoln fly with the B-52 bomber.
The Air Force said the aircraft also "simulated strike operations” in the exercise, which took place on Saturday.
In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi dismissed Pompeo’s offer as "playing with words” without any change in behavior.
"For the Islamic Republic of Iran, playing with words and expressing hidden goals in the form of new words is not the criteria for action,” he said.
"Rather, a change in the general approach and practical behavior of the United States towards the Iranian nation is a criterion; whereas, Mr. Pumpo's emphasis on the maximum pressure campaign on Iran reflects the continuation of the previous incorrect approach that needs to be corrected,” Mousavi added.