Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday criticized US President Donald Trump’s call for dialogue with Tehran, saying his remarks about peace were inconsistent with Washington’s record of sanctions, military strikes and support for Israel.
Trump told Israeli lawmakers on Monday that “it would be great if we made a peace deal with them,” adding later that Iran “has been battered and bruised” by US sanctions and “will come along” to talks. “I’d love to take the sanctions off when they’re ready to talk,” he said.
In June, the United States joined Israel in a series of strikes on Iranian nuclear sites after months of indirect talks stalled over enrichment and inspection terms. The attacks destroyed parts of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and killed scientists and soldiers, according to Iranian officials.
Iran dismissed Trump’s remarks, saying they were “in complete contradiction” with US behavior. “How can one speak of peace while attacking residential areas and peaceful nuclear facilities of a country and killing innocent people?” the ministry said on Tuesday in a statement carried by Iranian media.
Tehran said US support for Israel and its obstruction of UN measures on Gaza showed that Washington’s talk of peace was insincere. It accused the United States of complicity in what it called Israel’s “war crimes” in the enclave.
The ministry said Iranians would never forgive the 2020 US drone strike that killed Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, describing him as a national hero who led the fight against Islamic State militants.
Trump said on Monday that Iran “cannot survive” under current sanctions but that he hoped Tehran would “want to get back into the world of good economies.” He said the US-led strikes in June had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program and that the country “won’t go back into the nuclear world again.”
Iran said its nuclear program was peaceful and that repeated US accusations were aimed at justifying aggression. It said Washington’s “admission of crimes” only deepened its responsibility for regional instability.
Trump reinstated sweeping sanctions on Iran in January, reviving his “maximum pressure” policy. Tehran says US sanctions violate international law and that Washington must first change its conduct before any negotiations can begin.
