He said on Friday that “negotiation with the US is not on the agenda” of any Iranian official.
“Based on a framework defined by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei], negotiation with the US is not possible and is not in the cards unless they [the Americans] reconsider their attitude and apologize to Iran for 60 years of hostile and oppressive actions,” he added.
The Iranian official took the US government to task for offering to negotiate with Iran amid “threats, political and economic pressure”.
“Iran is a great country with rich culture and the US could never dominate our country with threats and pressure because the Iranian nation always favors logic and dialogue,” Mehmanparast said.
On Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei said “an offer of talks makes sense only when the side [that makes the offer] shows its goodwill.”
On February 2, US Vice President Joe Biden said Washington was ready to hold direct talks with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program.
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department also announced new sanctions targeting Iranian oil revenue. The sanctions prevent Iran from gaining access to earnings garnered from its crude exports.
The illegal sanctions were imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran argues that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
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