No talks with US under ‘maximum pressure’ policy: Iran FM
Trump claims he sent letter to Tehran to negotiate nuclear deal
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s position on talks on its nuclear program, saying that the Islamic Republic will never enter any direct negotiations with the US under pressure and threat.
“We will not enter any direct negotiations with the US so long as they continue their maximum pressure policy and their threats,” Abbas Araghchi told AFP on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
Iranian officials have frequently said that negotiations under pressure are not meaningful.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in February that talks with the US were “not smart, wise, or honorable.”
“Negotiating with America is neither smart, wise, nor honorable. It will not solve any of our problems. The reason? Experience!” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
In 2015, Iran reached a nuclear deal with Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Russia and China, which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US quit the agreement in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term as US president, and Iran began moving away from its nuclear-related commitments under the deal.
However, Iran has been trying to revive the JCPOA during the past years and has held several rounds of talks with the European parties to the deal, which their non-compliance to the agreement had a great impact on the implementation of the agreement.
There have been speculations on new negotiations between Tehran and Washington on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program in recent months, especially after Trump’s return to power in January.
However, Trump’s language of threats and imposition of sanctions against Iran have made Iranian officials skeptical of negotiations with the US.
Trump last month restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran which includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero.
He has also repeatedly expressed his interest in negotiations with Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Trump said on Friday he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and sent a letter to its leadership on Wednesday, saying he hoped the Islamic Republic would agree to talk. Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations rejected Trump’s claim, saying that Iran has not received such a letter.
“I said I hope you’re going to negotiate, because it’s going to be a lot better for Iran,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network broadcast Friday.
“I think they want to get that letter. The other alternative is we have to do something, because you can’t let another nuclear weapon.”
“There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal,” Trump said. “I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people.”
Russia has offered to mediate between the US and Iran, a source briefed on discussions told Reuters on Tuesday, as the Kremlin vowed to do everything possible to facilitate a peaceful solution to tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also discussed international efforts to resolve the situation around Iran’s nuclear program with Iranian Ambassador Kazem Jalali, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
Trump has upended US foreign policy since taking office in January, adopting a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has left Western allies wary as he tries to broker an end to Moscow’s three-year-old war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin also said on Wednesday that future talks between Russia and the US would include discussions on Iran’s nuclear program; a subject it said had been “touched upon” in an initial round of US-Russia talks last month.