Tehran said Deputy FM Majid Takht-Ravanchi’s remarks were taken out of context and referred to earlier nuclear negotiations with Washington, not a new proposal, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA
Iran on Thursday rejected a media report quoting its deputy foreign minister as saying the country was “ready to abandon” its nuclear programme if the United States offered a “satisfactory alternative,” clarifying that the remarks referred to earlier negotiations with Washington over the nuclear deal.
According to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA, Tehran said the comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi had been taken out of context and were linked to past discussions on possible arrangements under the nuclear agreement.
The clarification comes after Sky News Arabia reported Takht-Ravanchi’s comments regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Iran is ready to abandon its nuclear programme on condition that the United States presents a satisfactory alternative offer,” Takht-Ravanchi was quoted as saying.
After the US-Iran nuclear talks eventually collapsed Washington subsequently launched ‘Operation Epic Fury’ with Israel. The joint strike also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.
Tehran has said it entered negotiations with Washington despite doubts about US intentions but was attacked before the agreed timeline for talks concluded.
The US has said the goal of its current military engagement with Iran is a regional transition that ensures West Asia no longer poses a global security threat.
Washington maintains that the Trump administration’s stance was not its initial preference but the result of failed diplomatic efforts over Iran’s nuclear programme.
It has also warned that if the Iranian regime achieves its weapons goals, it would pose a global threat.
What happened in the last round of US-Iran talks?
On February 17 — about 10 days before the US and Israel attacked Iran — President Donald Trump warned Tehran of consequences if it failed to reach a deal during talks in Geneva.
The negotiations, mediated by Oman, aimed to avert possible US military action.
Tehran had expressed cautious optimism about Washington’s “more realistic” stance on its nuclear programme. However, Trump had repeatedly threatened military intervention, initially over the deadly crackdown on protesters in January and later over Iran’s nuclear activities.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One ahead of the talks, according to AFP.
An earlier diplomatic effort had also collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in June 2025, triggering a 12-day war in which Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.
“A cautious assessment is that, from the discussions that have taken place in Muscat to date, at least what we have been told is that the US position on the Iranian nuclear issue has moved towards a more realistic one,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said.
According to Iran’s foreign ministry, the Geneva talks were to focus on Iran’s position “regarding nuclear issues and sanctions relief,” as well as Tehran’s “seriousness in using result-oriented diplomacy to secure the legitimate interests and rights of the Iranian people.”
Ahead of the talks, Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that Iran could consider compromises on its uranium stockpile if the US lifted sanctions that have crippled its economy.
“If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement,” he said.
With inputs from agencies
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