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Minister: Iran Could Consider Talks With US Only if Sanctions Lifted,
Khamenei Permits - minister

Reuters

   DUBAI - Iran's intelligence minister has said Tehran and Washington
   could hold talks only if the United States ended its sanctions and
   Iran's top authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his approval, state
   news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.
   "Holding talks with America can be reviewed by Iran only If [U.S.
   President Donald] Trump lifts the sanctions and our supreme leader
   gives permission to hold such talks," Mahmoud Alavi said late on
   Wednesday. "Americans were scared of Iran's military power, that is the
   reason behind their decision to abort the decision to attack Iran."
   Trump said last month that he had aborted a military strike to
   retaliate for Iran's downing of an unmanned U.S. drone over the Strait
   of Hormuz on June 20 because it could have killed 150 people, and
   signaled that he was open to talks with Tehran.
   Tehran said the surveillance drone had been shot down by an Iranian
   surface-to-air missile in Iranian airspace, while Washington said it
   had been in international airspace.
   Tension has spiked between Tehran and Washington since last year, when
   Trump quit a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers and
   reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under the pact in return for
   Tehran curbing its sensitive nuclear work.
   Under the deal, Iran can enrich uranium to 3.67 percent fissile
   material, well below the 20 percent it was reaching before the deal,
   and the roughly 90 percent suitable for a nuclear weapon.

   'Be careful with threats'
   In reaction to U.S. sanctions, which have notably targeted its main
   foreign revenue stream in the shape of crude oil exports, Iran said in
   May that it would scale back its commitments to the deal.
   In its first major breach of the nuclear pact, Tehran said on Monday
   that it had amassed more low-enriched uranium than permitted.
   It said on Wednesday that it would boost its uranium enrichment after
   July 7 to whatever levels it needs beyond the cap set in the agreement.
   Trump responded: "Be careful with the threats, Iran. They can come back
   to bite you like nobody has been bitten before."
   But in defiance of that warning, Tehran said it would stick to its plan
   to further scale back its nuclear commitments.
   "By exiting the nuclear deal, Trump has wounded the path of
   diplomacy... the best antidote to all threats is active resistance,"
   said Keyvan Khosravi, spokesman for Iran's Supreme National Security
   Council.
   The European Union has urged Iran to stick to the terms of the deal,
   but Tehran has said its commitment will gradually decrease until
   Britain, France and Germany can ensure that it benefits financially
   from the accord-- Iran's main incentive for signing up to it.
   Since May, Washington has ordered all countries to stop purchasing
   Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system. It has
   also dispatched extra troops to the region to counter what it describes
   as Iranian threats.