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On Monday, Iran stated it was willing to engage in indirect discussions with the United States following President Donald Trump’s call for negotiations toward a new nuclear agreement.
Indirect negotiations are now possible,” stated Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, ruling out direct discussions “unless there is a shift in the other party’s stance toward the Islamic Republic.
The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran would not engage in direct talks with Washington under threats and so long as Trump maintain his “maximum pressure” policy.
During his initial presidential term, Trump enacted a policy that led to the U.S. withdrawing from an important accord regarding Iran’s nuclear program in 2018 and reinstated stringent economic penalties against Tehran.
The agreement reached in 2015 involving Tehran and the Western nations mandated that Iran curb its nuclear aspirations in return for easing of economic sanctions.
Several Western nations, such as the United States, have frequently alleged that Iran has been seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran refutes. Iran maintains that all its uranium-enrichment efforts are strictly intended for civilian use only.
On March 7, Trump stated that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging for discussions on nuclear matters and threatening potential military action should Tehran decline.
The letter reached Tehran on March 12, according to Fars News Agency, and was brought there by UAE Presidential Adviser Anwar Gargash.
On Friday, Khamenei stated that U.S. threats would “achieve nothing,” and he cautioned about retaliatory actions “should they take any harmful steps” against Iran.
On Thursday, Araghchi stated that Trump’s letter was more like a threat, yet he also mentioned it might present certain opportunities. He further indicated that Tehran would provide a response shortly.
The US Middle East special representative Steven Witkoff stated in an interview released on Friday that Trump’s objective was to prevent military confrontation by fostering trust with Iran.
He maintained that the letter was never intended as a threat.
Following Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which overthrew the Western-supported shah, Tehran and Washington severed their diplomatic relations.
Ever since, the Swiss embassy in Tehran has been instrumental in facilitating communication between the two countries.
Oman, a Gulf nation, has facilitated indirect discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear matter through what is known as the “Muscat Process”. In October, Araghchi mentioned that this process had been temporarily suspended, according to him.
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