Iran wants to reach a “peaceful” agreement on its nuclear program with the United States to resolve the decades-long dispute over the issue but will not compromise its national security, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said today.

The US, its European allies and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear program as a pretext for its efforts to develop its weapons production capability. Iran says its nuclear program has only peaceful purposes.

In October, President Donald Trump said the US is ready to make a deal with Iran when Tehran is ready to do so, adding that it has extended a “hand of friendship and cooperation” to Iran.

Washington is accused by Tehran of sending contradictory messages

In a speech at the 12th Strategic Dialogue in Abu Dhabi, Khatibzadeh noted that Washington is sending contradictory messages to Tehran about talks on its nuclear program through third countries.

The two countries had five rounds of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program before the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, in which Washington participated by striking major nuclear facilities in Iran.

Reiterating Tehran’s point of view, Khatibzadeh accused Washington of “betraying diplomacy” while talks on Iran’s nuclear program were halted after the June war.

Major gaps remain between the two sides, including the issue of uranium enrichment on Iranian soil, which the US wants reduced to zero to minimise any risk of it being used to develop a nuclear weapon, while Tehran rejects that plan.

Khamenei rejected the possibility of negotiations under threat

Last week, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on major state issues such as Iran’s foreign policy and nuclear program, ruled out the possibility of negotiations with the U.S. while under threat.

“Tehran is not pursuing nuclear bombs and (…) is ready to assure the world of this. We are very proud of our domestic nuclear program,” Hatibzadeh concluded.