US wants to discuss steps for Iran to become ‘normal country’ without precondition – Esper says amid ‘warnings’ from Washington

12 Jan, 2020 14:56 / Updated 1 minute ago

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Despite soaring tensions, the US is open to talk with Tehran, Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said. But there's a catch: such discussion should revolve around “a series of steps” that would make Iran “a more normal country.”

“We're willing to sit down and discuss without precondition a new way forward, a series of steps by which Iran becomes a more normal country,” Esper said on Sunday, speaking on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’.

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On negotiations between U.S. and Iran, @EsperDoD acknowledged that Iran, once deemed "corrupt" is "still the legitimate government" and didn't rule out talks. Says, “The president has drawn no preconditions other than to say we're willing to meet with the Iranian government"

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Asked whether there was a contradiction between calling the Iranian authorities “corrupt” and openly siding with anti-government protesters, yet expressing readiness to talk at the same time, Esper assured the show’s host that it was a perfectly fine thing to do. Iranian authorities are “still a legitimate government” of the country he said, and therefore Donald Trump’s offer to come and talk “without preconditions” still stands.

His words come as the president and other US officials are busy issuing warnings to Tehran on how to deal with protests over the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet.

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