“Iran believes in civilian dialogue,” he said. “Directly or indirectly is not important.”
“President Trump can easily stop the war by only one telephone (call) to (the) Israelis,” he said, repeating the Iranian position that talks were impossible while Israeli bombs were striking Iran.
Farahani said that Iran would not countenance halting nuclear enrichment – which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes – but added that concessions were possible.
“Maybe it can be lower but we don’t stop it,” he said.
Iran says it needs enriched uranium for peaceful purposes, while also manufacturing large quantities of near-weapons-grade material.
Trump’s decision to open a two-week negotiating window before deciding on striking Iran has offered a slim – if improbable – path to a peace deal between Iran and Israel.
Talks are taking place in Geneva between the foreign ministers from Iran, Britain, France, and Germany, along with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, the first confirmed face-to-face meeting of its kind since the conflict began.
After days of increasingly aggressive messages from the Trump administration, it has opened the possibility that military action can be averted.
Indeed, Trump’s own camp appears to be starkly divided on whether to pursue direct strikes against Iran.
“If America gets involved in the war,” Farahani said, “there are so many options and all (of) those options are on the table.”
Pro-government protests Friday on the streets of Tehran saw an outpouring of anger at both Israel and the United States.
Chants of “death to Israel, death to America” – a staple at such events – rang out, while Iranians spoke of their fury at the bombing campaign.