Iran is prepared to restart nuclear negotiations with the U.S., as long as certain conditions are met. 

Iranian Deputy Minister Kazem Gharibabadi explained Thursday that the Islamic republic would return to the negotiating table as long as Washington respects Iran’s right to uranium enrichment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran is also seeking guarantees that further talks will not act as cover for future military action by the U.S. or its allies. 

The conditions are markedly similar to those outlined by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier this week, with the minister adding that sanctions would also need to be lifted. 

Mr. Gharibabadi’s comments come one day before Iranian diplomats are expected to meet with senior European leaders in Istanbul. The discussions between Iranian, German, British and French diplomats will cover the European powers’ promise to trigger “snapback” sanctions if no progress is made on Iran’s nuclear program by the end of August. 

Mr. Gharibabadi did not outline a timeline for when U.S. talks could resume, but did imply that the outcome of Friday’s negotiations could have an impact. He added that while Iran is taking the Istanbul negotiations seriously, if nothing comes of them, Tehran still has time. 

One of Europe’s main demands going into Friday’s talks is the resumption of nuclear inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which Iran ended cooperation with earlier this month. On Wednesday, Mr. Gharibabadi announced that an IAEA technical team would visit Iran soon for a discussion on a “new modality” between the Islamic republic and the agency. The team will not visit any nuclear sites, the minister said. 

Iran passed a law earlier this month that officially ended cooperation with the IAEA. The move was roundly condemned by Western leaders, who said it would only make nuclear negotiations more difficult. However, Tehran maintains that the IAEA’s actions paved the way for Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June. 

The 12-day war that followed those strikes significantly damaged Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known. Some estimates suggest that while the damage is extensive, Iran should be able to rebuild its enrichment capabilities within a few months.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.