DUBAI — Iran could hold direct nuclear talks with the United States if conditions are suitable, first Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said on Tuesday, according to state media.

But he said U.S. demands for Tehran to drop uranium enrichment entirely were “a joke”.

A sixth round of talks between Tehran and Washington was suspended following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

Both powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran has rejected.

“Iran is ready for negotiations under equal conditions in order to safeguard its interests … The Islamic Republic’s stance is in the direction that people want and, should there be suitable conditions, we are even ready for direct talks,” Aref said.

Previous rounds of negotiations, which started in April, were indirect, mediated by Oman. Washington says uranium enrichment in Iran constitutes a pathway to developing nuclear weapons and should be dropped.

On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made a controversial statement in favour of resuming negotiations with the U.S. regardless of current levels of distrust.

“You don’t want to talk? Well then, what do you want to do? Do you want to go to war? … Going to talks does not mean we intend to surrender,” he said, adding that such issues should not be “approached emotionally”.

A senior commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Aziz Ghazanfari, reacting to Pezeshkian’s comments on Monday, said foreign policy requires discretion, and careless statements by authorities can have serious consequences for the country.

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(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alison Williams and Giles Elgood)