TEHRAN – In an interview with Al Jazeera published on Friday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “We're not actually eager to meet with [U.S. President Donald Trump] because the United States is not a reliable negotiating partner.”

Asked about the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Zarif said, “The nuclear deal is the best the United States can get, and it’s the best Iran can get, and it’s the best the international community can get.”

“They were always saying that we want a treaty with Iran. Now they just withdrew from the [1955 Treaty of Amity] that we have with the United States because the International Court of Justice ruled against them,” he added. “That tells you that whatever you negotiate with this president and with this administration, they’re not going to be bound by it.”

Asked if Iran will ever meet with President Trump or members of his administration, Zarif responded, “In politics, never say never. But I believe that there is need for a serious change in the administration.”

The foreign minister further said Iran has given the Europeans some time to try to compensate for U.S. departure from the nuclear deal.

“That means that Iran needs to receive the economic dividends of the deal,” he maintained.

MH/PA