TEHRAN – Iran’s top security official said the path for dialogue with the United States remains open, but Washington’s refusal to engage seriously is preventing the parties from entering new talks.  

Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the comments in a post on his X account on Tuesday. Larijani, a former parliament speaker and seasoned political figure, holds a key advisory role on Iran's national security strategy.

"The path for negotiations with the U.S. is not closed," Larijani wrote, signaling a willingness from Tehran to re-engage diplomatically. "Yet, these are the Americans who only pay lip service to talks and do not come to the table; and they wrongfully blame Iran for it!" he stated. 

The senior official pinpointed specific U.S. demands as a primary obstacle. He argued that by introducing "unrealizable issues such as missile restrictions," American officials are deliberately setting conditions that make any productive discussion impossible.

"This sets a path which negates any talk," Larijani wrote.

Tehran and the Trump administration engaged in five rounds of indirect talks this year before the U.S. and Israel began a bombing campaign against Iran back in June. Since the war ended, Americans have made multiple public statements asking for Iran to return to negotiations on its nuclear program. 

Iranians have always said they can take steps to ensure the West it is not building nuclear weapons, but it wants to maintain its legal right to nuclear enrichment. It has also warned that anything other than its nuclear program, including its missiles and foreign policy, cannot be discussed.

Iran managed to force Israel and the United States to ask for a ceasefire during the recent war after its missiles pounded the occupied territories and also hit a U.S. airbase in Qatar. Analysts say Iranian missiles are the cornerstone of its national security.