Iran says US must drop ‘excessive demands’ in nuclear negotiations

Iranian foreign minister emphasizes seriousness and realism as key to successful negotiations with the United States.

The United States must drop its “excessive demands” in nuclear talks with Iran to achieve a successful outcome, the Iranian foreign minister has said, as the US embassy in Jerusalem granted permission to nonemergency staff members to leave Israel amid fears of a regional war.

Abbas Aragchi made the remarks during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdel Ati, according to a report on Friday by the ISNA news agency.

Iran’s top diplomat said that “success on this path requires seriousness and realism on the part of the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands”. He did not elaborate on what those demands are.

Aragchi’s statement tempered down previous comments where he hailed “progress” at the talks and described the last round of negotiations between Iranian and US officials in Geneva as the “most intense so far”.

“It concluded with the mutual understanding that we will continue to engage in a more detailed manner on matters that are essential to any deal – including sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps,” he said.