Iran ready to sign nuclear deal with US
Iran's president said his country is ready to sign a nuclear deal with the United States on an equal basis.
According to RIA Novosti, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran is ready to sign a nuclear agreement with the US on the basis of equality.
"Regarding negotiations with the United States, within a certain scope and in accordance with national interests, we are ready to reach an agreement, but if they do not want to sign an agreement with us on an equal basis, we will continue to follow our own path," the Iranian president's official website posted his statement on April 21.
After the second round of talks with the US, Mr. Pezeshkian echoed the view of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that Tehran has a pessimistic and not optimistic view of the negotiations.
The second round of talks between Iran and the US, mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, took place on April 20 in Rome. The third round will take place on April 26 and a meeting of expert-level technical groups is scheduled for April 23 in Oman.
In early March, US President Donald Trump sent a letter to Leader Ali Khamenei, in which he said he wanted to sign a nuclear deal with Tehran, otherwise he would threaten to respond militarily. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian noted that the country has refused to negotiate directly with Washington on the nuclear issue.
Regarding the nuclear deal between the US and Iran, according to former Pentagon adviser Colonel Douglas MacGregor, Russia will not let a large-scale US attack on Iran go unanswered.
"Iran is strategically important to Russia. That is why Moscow will not stand by and do nothing if the US attacks Iran strongly," former adviser McGregor warned.
On April 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law ratifying the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership with Iran. The corresponding text was posted on the website for official publication of legal texts.