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Iran Offers to Take Steps Toward Easing Tensions with US

VOA News

   White House bureau chief Steve Herman contributed to this report.
   Iran signaled Thursday that it was willing to take steps to reduce the
   tensions over its nuclear program with the Trump administration.
   Iranian Foreign Minister MohammadJavadZarif told reporters in New York
   that Tehran would be open to more intrusive inspections of its nuclear
   program if Washington lifted its economic sanctions.
   But the offer, which Zarif described as "a substantial move," was met
   with a tepid response.
   A senior administration official told VOA on background, "The president
   has repeatedly said he is willing to have a conversation with Iranian
   leaders. If Iran wants to make a serious gesture, it should start by
   ending uranium enrichment immediately and having an actual
   decision-maker attempt to negotiate a deal that includes a permanent
   end to Iran's malign nuclear ambitions, including its development of
   nuclear-capable missiles."
   The Trump administration has been tightening sanctions on Iran since
   the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal known as the
   Joint Comprehensive Program of Action.

   Washington's objectives
   Washington is trying to force Tehran to agree to stricter limits on its
   nuclear capacity, curb its ballistic missile program and end support
   for proxy forces in a regional power struggle with U.S.-backed Persian
   Gulf Arab states.
   On Thursday, Zarif hinted at the steps Tehran was willing to take.
   Referring to its recent moves to escalate uranium enrichment, Zarif
   said they "could be reversed."
   "It's not about photo ops. We are interested in substance," he said.
   Fears of direct U.S.-Iranian conflict have risen since May, with
   several attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, Iran's downing of a
   U.S. surveillance drone, and a plan for U.S. airstrikes on Iran last
   month that President Donald Trump called off at the last minute.