Iran won’t engage in direct negotiations with US over its nuclear program

ANKARA

Iran said Monday that it will not engage in direct negotiations with the US over its nuclear program.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a news briefing that Tehran submitted a proposal to Washington for indirect negotiations, describing it as a "generous and responsible" offer.

"So far, we have not received a response from the US regarding indirect negotiations," Baqaei said in statements carried by the state news agency IRNA.

The spokesman said the Gulf country of Oman is one of the main options for hosting indirect negotiations with the US.

Responding to a question about US threats against Iran, Baqaei said that his country is prepared for any emergency.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has been building its defensive capabilities over the past five decades, and if threats against Iran materialize, they will be met with a firm response from Iran,” he added.

Last month, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with unprecedented bombing if Tehran did not agree to engage with Washington in negotiations over its nuclear program.

"If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing. It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before," Trump said during an interview with NBC News.

Iran replied that it would have "no choice" but to acquire nuclear weapons if attacked by the US or its allies.

During his first term in office, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal brokered between world powers and Iran known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Tehran.

Despite complying with the nuclear agreement for over a year after the US withdrawal, Iran gradually reduced its commitments, citing the failure of the deal’s remaining signatories to protect its interests.