Iran just has to walk through open door to enter negotiations with US, Bolton says
US National Security Adviser John Bolton, speaking
after the United States increased sanctions against Iranian officials, said
Washington was still willing to talk to Iran.
“The president has held the door open to real
negotiations to completely and verifiably eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons
program, its pursuit of ballistic missile delivery systems, its support for
international terrorism and other malign behavior worldwide,” Bolton said in
Jerusalem. “All that Iran needs to do is to walk through that open door.”
The United States backed out of the 2015
international agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear program in May last year. Iran
denies it is trying to build nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump on Monday targeted Iranian
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials with
sanctions, increasing pressure on Iran after Iranian forces shot down an
unmanned American drone.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht
Ravanchi, told reporters on Monday that Iran would not agree to talks with the
United States while it is under the threat of sanctions.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif,
responding to the sanctions said hawkish politicians close to Trump “despise
diplomacy, and thirst for war”.
Bolton was speaking at the start of a meeting with
his Israeli and Russian counterparts that was expected to focus on Iran and
Syria.
