On February 2, in an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen television channel in Tunisia, Mr. Ali Shamkhani - Senior Advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - affirmed that Iran is ready to restart the negotiation process on the nuclear dossier, but the only partner they agree to work with is the United States.
Explaining the move to remove old partners, Mr. Shamkhani made harsh and frank comments on the role of the E3 group (including Britain, France, Germany). He said that the "old continent" has failed to show its independent role on the international political chessboard.
Europe has proven completely powerless in implementing its commitments since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018," the advisor emphasized. He also criticized Europe's inefficiency in diplomatic efforts that took place before tensions escalated in June last year.
Iranian leaders currently consider European intermediaries meaningless and wasteful of time. Therefore, the new negotiation format that Iran requires is "only US participation and only discussion of nuclear dossiers".
This means that Iran resolutely refuses all Western efforts to expand the scope of negotiations. Iran will not accept incorporating other issues such as the ballistic missile program or political influence in the Middle East into the nuclear deal package, a condition that the US has often set before.
Despite maintaining a tough stance, Mr. Shamkhani still left the door open for flexible diplomacy. He confirmed the possibility of holding direct bilateral meetings with the US, but accompanied by strict preconditions.
Bilateral negotiations must begin based on mutual understanding that has been reached, and absolutely avoid unreasonable and unfounded requests from the other side," he declared. According to him, only when these principles of respect are guaranteed will reaching consensus become possible.
Notably, this senior official also revealed potential locations for historical contacts. Instead of traditional locations in Europe such as Vienna (Austria) or Geneva (Switzerland), Turkey is being considered as a venue for meetings, both direct and indirect.
The move to propose Turkey - a NATO member but maintaining good relations with both sides - shows that Iran wants to completely change its approach mechanism. They want to take the lead, working directly with the "real ruler" - the US - to definitively resolve economic sanctions, instead of relying on promises from Europe.
