Iran urges US to drop ‘excessive demands’ to reach deal

Agencies :

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that in order to reach a deal, the United States will have to drop its “excessive demands,” after the two sides held talks in Geneva.
In a phone call with Egypt’s top diplomat Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said “success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands.”
Araghchi did not clarify what demands he was referring to, but Washington has pointed to Iran’s ballistic missile program and has repeatedly described Tehran’s uranium enrichment capability as a red line.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Tehran had “already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
Also on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is “not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can,” adding that Tehran “refuses” to discuss its ballistic missile program and “that’s a big problem.”
Iran has repeatedly said its missile program is part of its defensive capabilities and has ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States held their third round of Omani-mediated nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva, seeking to avert military escalation as Washington expands its military build-up in the region. Both Iran and Oman cited progress after the talks, with technical discussions scheduled for Monday in Vienna ahead of a fourth round expected next week.
UN rights chief ‘extremely alarmed’ by regional escalation risk around Iran
The UN rights chief said Friday he was “extremely alarmed” at the risk of a regional escalation around Iran, which is facing repeated threats of US strikes.
“I am extremely alarmed about the potential for regional military escalation and its impact on civilians,” Volker Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“I hope the voice of reason prevails.”
Turk also highlighted Iran’s domestic situation, after Tehran last month launched a mass crackdown on nationwide protests, killing thousands of people according to rights groups.
“The situation in Iran remains volatile” after that crackdown, Turk told the council, pointing out that “recent days have seen a new wave of protests at universities, making it clear that the underlying grievances remain.”
“There are continued reports of repression, including arrests and pressure on academic spaces,” he said, highlighting that “thousands of people are still missing.”
Turk also said he was “horrified by reports that at least eight people, including two children, have been sentenced to death in connection with the protests.”
“Another 30 are reportedly at risk of the same sentence. I urge independent, impartial, and transparent investigations, fair trial guarantees, and an immediate moratorium on the death penalty.”