Iran ready for "genuine" talks with US, warns of retaliation if attacked

Iran is ready to engage in negotiations with the United States if they are “genuine,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in an interview with CNN.

“If there is genuine talk to reach a deal within the framework of international regulations, then, yes. But that is not the kind of talk the US president is after. He just wants to impose his will on others,” he said.

Speaking amid an increased U.S. military presence in the Middle East, Ghalibaf warned that Iran would retaliate against any military action, putting thousands of American servicemen at risk.

"Maybe Mr Trump can start a war, but he doesn’t have control over the end. Thousands of American soldiers who are being deployed from several thousand of kilometres from home are definitely going to be harmed, which is not a good thing,” he said.

Ghalibaf also blamed foreign actors for unrest in Iran and said the authorities would pursue those responsible for the killing of security personnel during protests. Promising swift prosecution of those involved, he warned that the government would “never back down from seeking revenge for the blood” of the nearly 300 security officers he said were killed in the protests.

While Ghalibaf conceded that “there are economic woes inside the country, some of which might have been due to mismanagement in the country,” he was quick to blame this on the “tyrannical pressures” of US sanctions. 

Ghalibaf’s interview came amid a buildup of US forces in the Middle East and threats by US President Donald Trump of possible military action against Iran, following the brutal crackdown by Tehran that has killed thousands of protesters.

By Khagan Isayev