High ranking Iranian officials, including the head of state, Hassan Rouhani, downplays US President Donald J. Trump's offer of talks, calling it worthless, despite the absence of preconditions.
Trump once again surprised the global stage with his willingness to meet Iran and its leadership without "preconditions." Contrary to what the White House has expected, Trump received a rather dismissive response from Iran officials and even from his Iranian counterpart.
This follows a week after Washington lambasted Tehran with renewed sanctions including that which could severely affect the country's oil exports.
Three months prior, the US back tracked from the 2015 multinational nuclear deal it signed with Iran.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a statement released on Twitter, and cited over at Reuters, said that the "US can only blame itself" for the cold shoulders it is getting, given the "threats, sanctions, and PR stunts" it is trying to pull off.
For the former Iran Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, the situation shouldn't come as a big surprise.
"Based on our bad experiences in negotiations with America and based on US officials' violation of their commitments, it is natural that we see no value in his proposal," the ex-Iran official was quoted as saying over ABC.
According to the former minister, there really isn't that much that Trump could bring to the table unless the broken nuclear pact is mended.
Another Iranian official, Bahram Qasemi, puts emphasis on Trump's capacity to make good of his word.
"How can Trump prove to the Iranian nation that his comments of last night reflect a true intention for negotiation and have not been expressed for populist gains," the minister said.
Even Trump's ally within the Iranian rank, Ali Motahari, considers the invitation a disgraceful move in the part of White House.
The bilateral talks could have easily been passed if Trump remained true to the nuclear deal which, in the first place, his predecessors have long worked for, Motahari added.
Moreover, the new oil export sanctions he placed on the country further worsened his chance to mend the ties with Iran.
For President Rouhani, Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 agreement is illegal and uncalled for. Rouhani's senior aide, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli went on to say that the Trump administration is "not trustworthy" following its decision to break from the deal.
Washington had previously explained that the nuclear deal failed to include Iran's ballistic missile program while overlooking the country's role in the escalating conflict happening in the Middle East.
