Iran Says Goodwill Gesture Needed for Direct Nuclear Talks With US

Iran’s foreign minister called on the United States to “take some tangible steps of goodwill on the ground” in order to bring about direct nuclear talks between the two countries.  Hossein Amirabdollahian also said on Saturday during a session at the Munich Security Conference that it is ready to agree to a prisoner swap with the United States.

Amirabdollahian called a prisoner swap “a humanitarian issue … unrelated to the nuclear accord,” and said that it could be conducted “immediately,” Reuters reported.  US nuclear negotiator Robert Malley has said that finalizing a reupped nuclear agreement is unlikely to occur unless the Islamic Republic frees four US citizens being held in Iran on espionage and security-related charges. The US has jailed several Iranians, mostly over violating US sanctions against Iran.

Amirabdollahian said Iran would be willing to start direct negotiations with the US, which has up until now been conducting parallel indirect negotiations in Vienna with Iran as Iran conducts direct talks with the world powers, if it makes a goodwill gesture such as freeing Iran’s frozen assets. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his country’s parliament last week that the negotiations, now in their ninth round, have reached the “tipping point.”

“I would like to emphasize here that we are ready to achieve a good deal, at the earliest possible time, if the other side makes the needed political decision,” Amirabdollahian said. “If the talks fail in Vienna, Western powers will be responsible for the failure because we want a good deal.”