Iran calls U.S. offer for talks “word-play,” asks for action

LONDON – Reacting to a U.S. offer to engage with Iran without pre-conditions, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Tehran expected a change in U.S. behavior rather than “word-play.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States is prepared to engage with Iran without pre-conditions about its nuclear program but needs to see the country behaving like “a normal nation.””The Islamic Republic of Iran does not pay attention to word-play and expression of hidden agenda in new forms. What matters is the change of U.S. general approach and actual behavior towards the Iranian nation,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying by Mehr news agency.

“Pompeo’s emphasis on the continuation of maximum pressure on Iran is the same old wrong policy that needs reform.”