Iran refused direct negotiations with the United States about its nuclear program, said President Masoud Pezekijan on Sunday. This is the first official confirmation of Tehran’s response to a letter from US President Donald Trump, in which he expressed his intention to negotiate a new nuclear agreement. According to AP, Pezekijan’s statement suggests that the tension between Iran and the US may continue to increase, TASR writes.
In early March, Trump said he had sent a letter to the Iranian government that he proposed new negotiations on the Iran nuclear program. At the same time, he threatened that if Tehran does not approach negotiations, the US would have to intervene militarily, which would be a “terrible thing” for Iran.
The response to Trump’s letter delivered through Oman, according to Pezekijan, leaves open the possibility of indirect negotiations with the US. However, it is not clear whether Trump would accept such a possibility.
Talks have not made any progress
However, indirect interviews have not yet made any progress. The US during Trump’s first term of office in 2018 unilaterally with Iran resigned and re -imposed sanctions on the country. Iran subsequently gradually resigned from its obligations arising from the agreement concluded in 2015.
Trump and Israel criticized the nuclear agreement as inadequate. In exchange for the abolition of sanctions, Iran has committed itself to limiting its nuclear program. Diplomatic efforts to revitalize the nuclear agreement have not yet produced concrete results.
“We are not avoiding conversations, so far we have been caused by violations of promises,” said Pezekiján in a television performance. “They have to prove that they can build trust,” he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbás Arakčí has already said in advance that Trump’s letter is actually a threat rather than a challenge for new negotiations. He reiterated that Tehran would not renew direct negotiations with the United States, as long as Trump continues to apply his “maximum pressure” policy, which he has enforced during his first term.
For decades, the West has been suspected of trying to develop nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies and insists that its nuclear activities serve for peaceful purposes. In the February, the International Atomic Energy Agency (MAAE) reported that Iran significantly increased its supplies of highly enriched uranium.
