Rouhani to US: First lift sanctions, then let's talk

GENEVA - Iranian officials on Tuesday urged the United States to lift its sanctions against Iran to pave the way for talks on mutual issues.

As the "first step" toward dialogue, the US should lift all its "cruel" and "unlawful" sanctions against Iran and respect the Iranian nation's rights, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in his speech aired live by state TV on Tuesday.

Rouhani's speech came a day after US President Donald Trump said that there was a "really good chance" the two could meet on their nuclear impasse after a surprise intervention by French President Emmanuel Macron during the G7 summit to try to bring Washington and Teheran together after decades of conflict.

"Without the US' withdrawal from sanctions, we will not witness any positive development," Rouhani said, adding that Washington "holds the key" as to what happens next.

"If someone intends to make it as just a photo op with Rouhani, that is not possible," he said.

On Tuesday, Iran said it would need three days to lift its oil production back to the level it was at before US sanctions were imposed, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency, which quoted Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh.

Earlier on Monday, Rouhani expressed readiness to negotiate a way out of the crisis following US's pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal.

"If I knew that going to a meeting and visiting a person would help my country's development and resolve the problems of the people, I would not miss it," he said.

"Even if the odds of success are not 90 percent but are 20 percent or 10 percent, we must move ahead with it. We should not miss opportunities."

Rouhani also shielded his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, against criticism from hard-liners over his surprise visit on Sunday to Biarritz, France, where leaders of the G7 nations were meeting.

Iran's English-language Press TV issued a statement later on Monday, rejecting Macron's initiative.

Macron said he hoped Trump and Rouhani could meet within weeks in hopes of saving the 2015 nuclear deal that Teheran struck with world powers, but which the US unilaterally withdrew from last year. Under the deal, Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

'Possible path'

On Tuesday, Macron acknowledged his efforts to bring Iran and the US together are "fragile" but said he still sees a "possible path" to rapprochement between the two.

It's France's responsibility to play the "role of a balancing power", Macron said, adding that his efforts allowed hope for a "de-escalation" of tensions.

Since the US pullout from the nuclear deal, Iran has lost billions of dollars in business deals allowed by the accord as the US reimposed and escalated sanctions largely blocking Teheran from selling crude abroad, a crucial source of hard currency for the Islamic Republic.