MUNICH: US Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the United States would be willing to hold direct talks with Iran “when the Iranian supreme leadership is serious.”
Speaking to an international security conference in Munich, Biden said that time hasn’t run out for diplomacy to resolve tensions over the Iranian nuclear weapons program, reiterating an offer to speak directly to a “serious” Iranian leadership.
US Vice President remained skeptical about Iran’s willingness to engage in serious dialogue. US policy remains to prevent a nuclear Iran from emerging, not to seek to contain an Iranian nuclear power in the region.
Biden said that Iran has been given the choice between continued conflict and a diplomatic resolution of the issue.
“We all know the path the Iranians have chosen,” he said. “Our policy is not containment; it is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. There is still time for negotiations to succeed. The ball is back in the government of Tehran’s court.”
DND
